To Achieve the "Customer First" Principle and Protect Users: CITC Amends Certain Provisions of the Telecommunications Bylaws

His Excellency Engineer Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Chairman of the Commission's Board of Directors, approved amendments to the provisions of the Implementing Regulations of the Telecommunications Act, which will take effect tomorrow, Monday, 05/01/1439H, whereby the provisions related to handling user complaints and billing were amended.

The Commission stated that this step comes as a continuation of its efforts to protect users of communications and information technology services, and to develop complaint-handling procedures and reduce their duration, and achieve transparency and clarity in procedures, improving user experience and raising their satisfaction level.

The Commission explained that among the most prominent amended provisions is reducing the complaint-handling period at the service provider from (15) days to (5) days maximum, and obligating service providers to transparency and clarity by publishing complaint-handling procedures and durations and related frequently asked questions for users, and not cutting off communications service or changing any of the services provided to the user or demanding the disputed amount during the time the complaint is being investigated by the service provider or after it is escalated to the Commission, as well as increasing the period of the user's right to dispute bills from (30) days to (60) days from the bill issuance date.

It is noted that this step is an extension of the Commission's efforts to work on protecting users' interests, having recently launched an index classifying communications service providers in terms of complaints escalated to the Commission by subscribers against service providers, and field follow-up to verify the application of the service applicant/user protection document, as well as obligating service providers to transparency and clarity in applying the fair use policy.

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The bylaws after amendment