Thursday, November 7, 2024 - The Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) Director General David Mugonyi had a hard time on Tuesday after MPs went berserk on him over the expiry of data bundles and the accountability of Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Information Communication
Technology (ICT) Committee, chaired by Dagoretti South MP John
Kiarie raised concerns about the lack of measures to protect consumers
from data bundle expiries and internet service disruptions.
They also decried a lack of
compensation after the expiry of unused bundles and the clear absence of
systems allowing consumers to express their complaints.
“If radio stations can air
quality of service issues, why aren’t ISPs doing the same for internet service?
Other countries have implemented no-expiry policies, and we need similar
protections here,” MP Kiarie stated.
Other committee members also
echoed these concerns and recommended treating data bundle payments as a
utility payable monthly or regularly instead of having data bundle packages
that expire within hours.
“Why do we pay for bundles that
expire before we use them? If bundles worked like other utilities, consumers
wouldn’t be losing their money,” Kisii County Women Representative Doris Donya
quipped.
As for Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto,
he felt that the short-term data packages were a clear fraud, noting that it
was unrealistic for anyone to consume 20GB of data bundles within an hour of
purchase.
Ultimately, the Director General
was directed to enact tougher oversight mechanisms to ensure that all ISPs
operating in the country put the customer first by putting in measures like
providing compensations following service outages.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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