Reacting through its Executive Vice
Chairman, Mr Babatunde Irukera on Wednesday, he said the engagement was to
check whether the company implemented a change in terms and conditions in line
with the Commission’s mandated steps.
According to him, our orders were broad and
it will be important that compliance is prioritised.
“Although we cannot, and did not regulate
price except in limited circumstances requiring presidential approval and
gazetting.
“As such, our order to MultiChoice did not
prevent them from pricing their services in a manner acceptable between them
and their subscribers.
“We regulate price gouging. The nature of
gouging is post-fact, meaning that when a price movement occurs, we can
investigate to determine if it is excessive, exploitative, unrestored or
manifestly unjust.
“Such is a very intricate investigation and
the fact of the existence of any increase is not the entire evidence.
“There is a method to analyse the increase
and other circumstances leading to it.
“As in the case of pharmacies, we are
prosecuting for inordinate increases of certain products during early stages of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For now, the first check with MultiChoice
is whether they implement, or intend to, a material change in terms and
conditions (of which price is one) without the steps the Commission has
mandated as conditions precedent,’’ he said.
Recalls that MultiChoice on Tuesday,
announced the increase in DStv and GOtv subscription rates, blaming it on the
rising cost of inflation and business operations.
The rates are Xtraview +PVR access fee
formally N2,300, now N2,900, Business will now go for N2,669, Padi formally
N1,850 will now be N2,150, Yanga formally N2,565 will now be N2,950, Confam
formally N4,615 will now be N5,300.
Also, Compact formally N7,900 will now be
N9,000, Compact Plus formally N12,400 will now be N14,250, while Premium which
was N18,400 will now go for N21,000.