[kictanet] State House moves in to quell mobile price wars

[Jotham Kilimo Mwale]

Walu,

Are you saying that a request, even a reasonable one, from statehouse should never be considered by the regulator if they are to remain independent? 

>From the article, it appears the CCK board and MOIC carefully considered the 'request/directive' from statehouse and have a justification for it: "There was a feeling that
 we had moved too fast with the issue, and the decision is meant to give
 players a chance to step back and evaluate the effects that the 
significant reduction in MTRs has had," Ndemo told The standard in an 
interview.

I think 'independence' of a regulator does not disqualify them from receiving requests from statehouse or any other party. If the regulator can deliberate on the issue/request and then act in the best interest of the nation, I think they are still independent.

In this case, the government, the regulator and all the operators seem to be agreed on the issue and hence I do not expect any backfiring, unless the consumer disagrees furiously.

Best regards,

Jotham K. Mwale

--- On Thu, 6/9/11, Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com>
Subject: [kictanet] State House moves in to quell mobile price wars
To: jokilimo at yahoo.com
Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Date: Thursday, June 9, 2011, 12:38 AM

By Macharia kamau, 

A
 presidential directive freezing the reduction of mobile termination 
rates (MTRs) has rendered irrelevant a prime ministerial task force set 
up to establish how reduced MTRs affect the economy and mobile phone operators.
By the Standard @
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000036808&cid=14&
~~~~~~~~
I get worried when I read headlines like these.  Is it really true or a case of being misquoted. I have a big problem when a Regulator receives explicit instructions from Statehouse=President? particularly when we have been successfull in pretending that the Regulator is truly independent. 

In the new constitutional dispensation, this can quite backfire and leave more egg on Statehouse..
walu.


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