Saudi Shoura members call for reduction in Internet fees

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Thursday 28 Jan 2016 - 14:29 Makkah mean time-18-4-1437 (Image from EPA) Jeddah, (IINA) - Members of the Shoura Council of Saudi Arabia have on Tuesday called on the country’s telecommunication companies to reduce the tariff for their Internet and other communications services, Arab News reported. Several members of the Shoura stated that the prices were too high and cause a substantial burden on citizens, particularly since telecommunications companies were making huge profits. Abdulmohsen Al-Mark, a Shoura member, made this appeal while taking part in deliberations on the report of the transport, communication and information technology committee, based on the annual report of the Ministry of Culture and Information for the 2014/2015 financial year. Another member, Sami Zaidan, questioned the fines imposed on telecommunication companies, saying they might hurt their competitiveness. This was in reference to the Communications and Information Technology Commission's slapping of fines amounting to SR552 million ($147 million) on firms in 2015 for various violations. Last year, a committee of experts had found that telecommunication companies had been cutting telephone cables, providing illegal connections, selling prepaid mobile phone chips without registering identity numbers, making illegal offers and issuing unauthorized telephone service licenses. The Shoura’s transport, communication and information technology committee recommended in its report that the ministry urgently completes its national strategy on information security, and to work with the Ministry of Finance to approve communication projects and budgets of government agencies. AG/IINA