MP wants new law to have metered billing of internet

A consumer tries to access internet at Lung’anyiro village in Mumias /FILE

Internet service providers could soon be compelled to set up metres for billing their customers following a proposal by a lawmaker keen on taming exploitation by some players.

Aldai MP Marianne Kitany has sponsored a bill which if enacted would see internet providers charge their customers based on the readings. The lawmaker has proposed amendments to the Kenya Information and Communication Act to effect the regime.

“The bill is to provide for metred billing of internet use, based on consumption in order to mitigate exploitation and to secure economic interests of internet users in line with Article 46 of the constitution,” the MP says in the bill’s memorandum of objects.

It would also be applicable to telecommunication operators that provide internet services. The proposed law posits that an ISP shall operate a metre system which would assign each customer a unique and identifiable metre number.

“The bill seeks to require internet service providers to develop and deploy a quality metred billing system,” Kitany stated.

The metre system is also expected to have the capacity to monitor customer usage and convert this into readable details. It is also to create invoices based on consumption and allow for user verification of invoices.

“An Internet Service Provider licensed under this Act shall submit to the Communications Authority, at least once in every financial year, information on the billing system including internet metre numbers issued to subscribers,” the bill reads.

ISPs have different offers for their clients, who in most cases never get to know how the different packages are arrived at. Lead telcos Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom have internet packages – either daily or monthly rates – as is the case with ISPs Zuku, Jamii Telecom and Faiba.

Complaints have been rife about users losing their money on the basis of not consuming their packages within the set time.

In the current dispensation, internet users get billed regardless of whether they have actively used the internet data or not. “The bill seeks to require internet service providers to align their metrics with the value the customers get from internet services. The bill seeks to secure the economic interest of internet consumers,” Kitany said.

The amendment to the Kenya Information and Communication Act further provides that all licences and registrations of ISPs would be guided by how they comply with the proposed dispensation.

“Subsequent licensing and registration of internet service providers shall be issued under this Act,” the bill reads, adding that it would go a long way to entrench consumer rights.

Kenya’s internet is moderately regulated with a focus on privacy, content bans, cybercrime enforcement, competition rules and ISP fees.