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Uganda consumers get ICT lobby
By ESTHER NAKKAZI

Posted Friday, January 9 2009 at 14:26

Dissatisfied ICT consumers in Uganda can now seek redress from the
Uganda ICT Consumer Protection Association, in case of bad service,
substandard products and general unscrupulous practices by data and
voice service providers.

The new lobby, which starts work later this month, will particularly
address the issue of slow data speeds delivered by Internet service
providers that do not correspond with the bandwidth paid for;
overpricing of services and substandard mobile handsets sold at rock
bottom prices through product promotions.

The lobby's agenda is to ensure that consumers get value for money;
act as an arbiter between consumers and service providers; be a
platform for redress; be a proactive independent body that will set
standards for service providers and also create an avenue for
educating the public on consumer rights.

"We want to bring the different players together for the good of the
industry. Consumers will get to understand what the suppliers are
giving them and the service providers will in turn realise that they
cannot get away with poor service," said James Wire Lunghabo,
chairman of the lobby and an IT expert at Linux Solutions.

Mr Lunghabo said the lobby is not out to antagonise service providers
but to hold them accountable and make them understand that "quality
of service in the ICT sector is a right, not a favour."

The chairman of the Parliamentary ICT Committee Edward Baliddawa,
said, "The lobby is a good initiative that will create checks and
balances within the industry. It will go a long way in helping to
educate consumers, most of whom do not have the capacity to verify
quality of services offered."

The lobby group will complement the regulator Uganda Communications
Commission, which is mandated by the government to do this work.

But critics say that though the Commission is mandated to handle
consumer complaints, the fact that it is funded by the service
providers, it cannot not be a fair arbiter.

The Commission is funded through licence fees paid by ICT operators,
the government, a 1 per cent levy from operators' revenue under the
Rural Communication Development Fund and other fees, which the lobby
group says should be accounted for by an independent body. The
Commission runs a consumer relations desk that has been accused of
being docile.

Commission officials said the new lobby is free to ask it for funding
as funds for such activities are available, given that the issue of
consumer protection is too big to be handled by a single entity.

"We welcome every initiative and will be glad to have civil society
and public collaboration. The issue of consumer protection calls for
concerted efforts by all stakeholders in the sector," said Fred
Otunnu, the Director of Communications and Consumer Affairs at the
UCC.

However, some industry players have already expressed reservations,
saying that if the lobby is to be funded by the Commission, it will
be controlled by the government and so lose its independence.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/512428/-/6437suz/- 
<http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/512428/-/6437suz/->
/index.html

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