Caribbean utility regulator needed to protect households — BCEN

The island’s lone consumer advocacy organisation on Monday urged CARICOM governments to establish a regional utility regulator, warning that consumers across the Caribbean face persistent disparities in the price and quality of essential services due to fragmented oversight.

Fresh from participating in a global conference on competition and consumer protection, the chair of the Barbados Consumer Empowerment Network’ (BCEN), Maureen Holder, suggested a multilateral regulator would help standardise oversight of essential services.

“The CARICOM Competition Commission (CCC) could function as a national utility regulator, helping to standardise oversight of essential services across member states,” Holder told Barbados TODAY.

This, she argued, would help address persistent challenges such as price disparities, service quality inconsistencies, and the dominance of a few providers in critical services such as energy, telecommunications, and water.

But, she added, the CCC is not currently set up to act as a regional regulator. 

“The current set-up of the CCC does not allow for such; but BCEN hopes that it is made possible for the CCC to reposition itself to become a regional regulator or serve in some technical advisory capacity, having regulatory oversight over utilities of member states.

“A regional regulator would help ensure fairness and stability in markets that affect every household. For small islands with limited competition, this form of unified oversight is especially important, particularly where consumers often have limited choices and face high costs.”

Touting her three-year-old organisation’s achievements, Holder said BCEN was moving to grow its role in international and regional policymaking, while the organisation is positioning itself as a strong advocate for Barbadian consumers in an increasingly complex and evolving economic environment. 

Holder suggested that BCEN’s “growing” influence signals a new chapter for consumer advocacy in Barbados – one characterised by broader participation, stronger partnerships, and a more powerful voice championing the rights and interests of the public.

The advocacy group has contributed to major international and Caribbean-wide policy discussions on competition, fair markets, and consumer protection, its chairman stressed.

Holder recently represented Barbados at the 9th United Nations Conference on Competition and Consumer Protection in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of the Consumers International (CI) delegation.

She joined global policymakers, regulators, competition authorities, academics, and private-sector leaders to examine progress under the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection (UNGCP) and the UN Set of Principles on Restrictive Business Practices.

She also participated in high-level roundtable discussions with senior officials from UNCTAD, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Trade Organization (WTO). One of the key engagements included a direct roundtable exchange with Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the WTO, focusing on global trade rules, market access, digital fairness, and the implications for consumers in small developing economies.

“Meeting with leadership of institutions such as UNCTAD, the WHO, and the WTO shows that consumer groups through Consumers International have a recognised voice in global discussions and shows that once consumer bodies are present at the table, small states can help shape the rules if we are present, informed, and persistent,” Holder said.

Reflecting on this country’s presence at the global forum, she added: “Small developing states like Barbados cannot afford to remain on the margins of global policy conversations. BCEN ensured that the concerns of small economies and vulnerable consumers were not only represented, but acknowledged at the highest levels.”

The UN conference, convened by UNCTAD, serves as a central platform for reviewing international best practices and coordinating global approaches to consumer protection and market fairness.

The conference provided a forum for examining global best practices, market fairness, and the emerging challenges facing consumers in digital and cross-border markets.

These issues have direct implications for Barbadian households, consumer group leader said.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostodya.bb