FCCPC investigating rights violation by Dstv, other pay TV

Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) said it has opened an investigation into the conduct of dominant Pay TV service providers upon credible information, public announcements by operators, and consumer perception analytics. It said in a statement that “over the past 24 months, the FCCPC has conducted an investigation, pursued legal action in court, secured an injunction pre-empting price increase, entered specific orders regarding a provider, engaged in periodic surveillance and monitoring, and more recently inquired into a purported tax increase by at least one provider.

“This investigation is in order to address the Commission’s concerns and publicly expressed consumer dissatisfaction with Pay TV services. The scope of the inquiry includes, but is not limited to questions about unfair dealings, unreasonable and manifestly unjust contract terms, abuse of market power, colourable pricing practices and other otherwise obnoxious or illegal conduct. Operators are invited to familiarise themselves with the FCCPA and statutory clarifications of their obligations to the FCCPC under S.104 in addition to, and or irrespective of any obligations to other regulators. The Commission will continue to pursue initiatives and efforts that promote and ensure fairness to all.