Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 893203,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/893203/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 369,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Marakwet West, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. William Kisang",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2263,
        "legal_name": "William Kipkemoi Kisang",
        "slug": "william-kipkemoi-kisang"
    },
    "content": "Currently, if you want to lay a fibre optic cable here in Nairobi, you will be charged different rates than in Kiambu. It is the same if you go to Elgeyo Marakwet or Thika. They are all different. So, we want the Ministry responsible for roads to standardise this so that technology becomes affordable. The Committee recommends that money in the Universal Service Fund should be ring- fenced and utilised for the intended purpose which is supporting widespread access to information, communication and technology. The moment there are particular billions in a particular organisation, if we do not ring-fence the money, a need may crop up, as we saw sometimes back. With regard to the provision of content services, the Committee recommends that the CAK formulates an adequate mechanism for monitoring the provision of content services within six months. This is meant to ensure that mobile network operators and content service providers offer customers only the services they have subscribed to. Service providers should not be intrusive. They should not send you messages that you have not requested for. The CAK should formulate and publish regulations to manage premiere rates service providers that will ensure customers can opt out of unwanted services without being charged, within six months. If there is a particular service that you subscribed to and after a month, a day or hours you are not willing to continue, you should be given an option to opt out of that service without being charged or getting restrictions. The CAK should formulate and publish regulations on the licensing of mobile network operators as content service providers and the obligations. The initial licences the providers are being given are not for content provision, but they are already doing that business. That is why we are saying that they need to pay additional fee for that so that the Exchequer gets additional funds. Finally, on national roaming, the Committee recommends that the CAK implements national roaming to all the Tier 1 mobile operators in the seven counties of Isiolo, Garissa, Marsabit, Samburu, Turkana and Wajir within one year, subject to long-run average incremental cost. Tier 1 operators are those who can offer their services across the country and Tier 2 are those that are restricted to particular regions. Tier 3 is restricted to a particular county. So, because we have an issue with the seven counties, the CAK should ensure that national roaming is done quickly. Basically, they have to negotiate and agree on the rates. We also propose the need to amend the Kenya Information and Communications Act, 1998 and the Competition Authority Act, 2010, to empower the CAK with the sole mandate to determine competition matters arising in the telecommunication sub-sector within six months. Currently, the CAK and the Competition Authority of Kenya should have an MoU because under the current law, the Competition Authority of Kenya is the sole authority that is mandated on competition matters, but CA is the technical organisation. The Competition Authority of Kenya does not have technical expertise when it comes to the telecommunication subsector. With those many remarks, I wish to move and ask my colleague, Hon. Kivasu Nzioka, to second."
}