The telecommunications regulator has knocked back a bid by One Communications to charge between $200 and $500 in contract termination fees.

The Regulatory Authority branded the proposed charges for residential internet and broadband customers, as well as retail TV customers as “both anti-consumer and anti-competitive”.

However, One CEO Frank Amaral tonight described the statement as “misleading” and said the fees in question would have applied only to a promotion involving customers being offered three months of free internet service. More of his comments will be published in tomorrow’s issue of The Royal Gazette.

A spokesman for the regulator added it has also rejected “a proposal by One to exercise a method of determining its retail prices, that the Authority viewed as predatory pricing against market entrants and anti-competitive”.

The spokesman added: “The authority has a responsibility to safeguard the interests of consumers, as well as to promote and safeguard competition.

“The authority’s actions of today are consistent with these responsibilities and the Authority is ready to intervene further should it be necessary.”