IMDA-Singapore Consults on Subscription TV

Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority has launched a public consultation to seek views on its proposed framework for the Telecommunication and Subscription TV Mediation-Adjudication Scheme.

The Scheme aims to introduce an alternative dispute resolution scheme for telecommunication and media services. The proposal was first unveiled in August 2016 as part of the public consultation on amendments to the IMDA Act and Telecommunications Act, and is intended to supplement existing consumer protection measures and dispute resolution approach to meet rising public expectations for better customer care and service levels.

The Scheme aims to provide an alternative avenue for consumers and small businesses to resolve disputes with telecommunication and media service providers (excluding OTT platform services such as Mediacorp’s Toggle) in a fair, affordable, and effective manner, while incentivising faster resolution by the service providers.

The Scheme is designed to cover widely-used telecommunication and media services, such as mobile, broadband and subscription TV services. It will also seek to address common disputes that are known to be consumer pain-points, such as disputes on billing or service quality, that can usually be resolved through service recovery efforts, or compensated in kind or monetary terms.

The public consultation closes on 28 February 2018. (C+T Mag)