FROM June 1, Astro will be charging RM5 extra for those with the Astro Movies package whether consumers want the Disney and Hotstar movies package or not.

It appears that Astro can “make changes to the packages, that result in price increases, as they wish. 

It is sad that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is allowing Astro to force existing consumers to accept a package that they never agreed to. It appears that Astro can over-charge as they please without the explicit consent of the consumers.

This is a clear assault on the consumer’s right to choose.

Will the regulator, the MCMC, step in to protect consumers’ rights?

While Disney and Hotstar may be good packages offering value for money, consumers should have the right to make the choice whether to accept that package.

At this particular time, when many consumers have lost their jobs or had their incomes reduced due to the pandemic, they should be given a choice whether to spend more on their monthly Astro bill or not.

This approval must be explicit. No seller can use the “make changes to the packages” clause to arbitrarily force a package that involves extra cost to the consumer, especially during challenging economic times.

The telcos, and the media and broadcast companies are indeed powerful industries with immense lobbying power. The role of the regulator is to balance the power of the industry with the protection of the consumers.

Without protection from the regulator, the telco industry, and media and broadcasting companies, would seek higher profits through low quality services and over-pricing. There would be no protection for consumers as they would be at the mercy of the industries.

Astro is almost a monopoly, thus consumers have no choice, so it can charge or “change their packages” as they wish and consumers would be forced to accept its deal.

Only an arrogant monopoly can inform its customers that if consumers do not want to pay the extra RM5, they should cancel their entire movie package. An arrogant monopoly confident of a regulator that is unwilling to act to protect consumers’ rights.

Even in the telco industry, there appears to be a move towards mergers, reducing free competition and moving towards a more monopolistic industry under which consumers suffer.

Will MCMC, which says it has the tools to protect consumers, actually act to protect them by ensuring adequate competition in the market?

Federation of Malaysian Consumers’ Associations (FOMCA) calls on Astro to get explicit consent from consumers who are willing to pay extra for the new packages.

If Astro fails to be fair to consumers and, instead, moves ahead to unjustly charge them, FOMCA calls on MCMC to ensure that fairness, justice and protection is ensured by forcing the seller to get that explicit consent by revising those packages that require consumers to pay extra. – May 6, 2021.

*Paul Selva Raj is FOMCA secretary-general.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.