The Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC) said Wednesday that “it notes with concern the recent decision by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to introduce price regulation on internet data services following an intense period of competition among GSM operators.”
Below is the full text of the press statement that the GCCPC issued on the issue:
“For many years, consumers in The Gambia have faced some of the highest data prices in the sub-region, with no regulatory intervention. Recently, increased competition and innovation among operators have provided welcome relief, driving data prices to their lowest levels ever and making them more affordable for vulnerable consumers and small businesses.
The Commission believes that the introduction of price regulation will prevent consumers from benefiting from unfettered competition. Such regulatory interventions risk undermining the gains of open market rivalry, where businesses compete on price, quality, and service innovation to the benefit of consumers.
While the Commission acknowledges concerns about network quality during the price war, raising consumer prices through regulation punishes consumers instead of addressing structural and investment issues within the sector. This approach is not only regressive but also disproportionately harms vulnerable consumers.
The Commission strongly believes that sustainable investment in network quality must not come at the expense of consumer welfare. Operators have a duty to compete responsibly, innovate, and reinvest in their networks, while the regulator must ensure compliance with network quality standards. The Commission, therefore, strongly condemns the price regulation and calls on the regulatory authority to rescind this policy in favor of approaches that promote both affordable pricing and quality improvement.
Consumer protection is built on fairness, equity, and justice. The true test is how well it safeguards the most vulnerable, not how comfortably it serves the elite. The GCCPC, as the competent authority on competition and consumer protection, remains open to constructive engagement with all sector regulators to ensure that regulatory outcomes are pro-competition, pro-consumer, and pro-development but will not hesitate to challenge regulatory actions that undermine these principles.”
