The Independent Media Commission participated in the discussion table 'Consumers in the telecommunications market', which was held on December 21, 2022, in Pristina, organized by the Institute for Development Policy - INDEP.

The meeting was attended by actors from the field of electronic and audiovisual communications, media and telecommunication regulators, respectively IMC and RAKEP, the Department for Consumer Protection within MINT, deputies from the Assembly, as well as members of civil society that deal with consumer protection. The participants in this table presented their views regarding the current situation regarding the protection of consumer rights and consumer complaints. Taking into account that during this year, consumer complaints about the electronic communications market are constantly increasing, in such a situation, consumers seek answers to a significant number of concerns in the audio-visual and Internet services market.

In general terms, the participants discussed the implementation of the provisions of the Law on consumer protection by institutions, the Law on Electronic Communications and the implementation of consumer protection obligations by commercial operators.

The IMC presented the current legal framework in terms of consumer protection, the most frequent complaints that the IMC received this year related to audiovisual media services, which were mainly about changes in the list of channels by the operators of distribution. IMC has handled all complaints according to legal procedures and deadlines and has responded to the complaining parties. In the framework of the licensing of service providers, consumers of media services also have an important place. IMC, through the criteria and obligations of distribution operators, has largely ensured the protection of consumers. Distribution operators are obliged to provide quality services to consumers and to notify consumers of any changes that occur in the channel list.

It was a common conclusion from the speakers at the table that today's consumer is faced with a wide range of audio-visual and Internet services that are offered on the market and the rights of consumers must be respected in order to ensure that audio-visual services and Internet services meet customer expectations and be provided fairly by service providers.