BVIEC and local cable company resolve pole-sharing dispute
The dispute between BVI Cable TV and the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) about the two companies utility pole-sharing agreement has now come to an end.
A media release from the Office of the Premier said the two parties came to a final decision on June 4. This agreement now allows BVI Cable TV to, once again, attach its infrastructure to poles owned by the BVIEC.
The conclusion of the dispute followed a meeting which Premier Andrew Fahie held last October to ‘listen to the concerns’ of the two companies.
Commenting on the resolution, Chairwoman of the BVIEC, Rosemarie Flax said she was pleased that both parties were able to find common ground.
She said this latest agreement is in the “best interest of all stakeholders” and it will “add value to the economy of the Virgin Islands”.
The dispute, which had been happening for roughly a year, resulted in the cable company — which has not been operational since the September 2017 hurricanes — having to suspend its network’s redeployment.
What happened
The companies had been at loggerheads since the BVIEC replaced their utility poles that had fallen during hurricanes Irma and Maria.
According to the aforementioned media release, the parties “could not reach an amicable agreement on several issues, including the replacement of poles, rental rates, safety protocols and best practice”.
The BVIEC had owned 55 percent of the territory’s entire pole infrastructure before the hurricanes. Telecommunications provider, Flow is said to have owned 35 percent while BVI Cable owned the last 10 percent. They all mutually shared the poles at no cost.
Court injunction
Fastforward to 2019 when BVI Cable was ‘very close’ to relaunching its services, they received an court injunction that effectively halted their network deployment.
In explaining the dispute at the time, BVI Cable said the BVIEC decided to charge them to use their poles at a rate “far exceeding what another local telecommunications provider is being charged”.
The BVIEC later refuted those accusations and said they were forced to take the matter to the court because “BVI Cable TV was not negotiating in good faith”.
An emergency meeting was then held with Premier Fahie, TRC boss Guy Malone and the feuding parties.
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DATS BLACK PEOPLE FOR U, THEY LIKE TOO MUCH DARM CONFUSION
I will be back to knock down your poles. I thought that you would have put the cables underground.
Yeah
Cable tv coming back!!! Oh how I missed ya!!!!
it is more like greed before people. See how long people ehign had no cable. Think they care bout providing a service? Nope! They only care bout playing tricks till they can come back with Dig Inside Gauranteed Income Collecting Excessive Loot, just like the name sake internet and phone service provider.
Can they please clean up all their old cables that lay everywhere first !
WHO WOULD KNOW WITH THIS MESS ON THE ROAD AND IN THE TREES. jUST FINISHED PULLING DOWN ALL YOUR STUFF…INCLUDING OLD ELECTRICITY LINES SINCE IRMA. NOW YOU HAVE A PLAN? COST A FORTUNE TO CLEAN UP ALL THE MESS FROM BOTH ELECT. CORP. AND CABLE BEFORE OUR NEXT STORM. NOT GOOD ENOUGH AFTER DISCUSSING THESE PROBLEMS WITH YOU. sTILL GOT POLES LEANING OVER PROPERTY. ONE IN MY NEIGHBOURS PROPERTY… PUT IN 2 YEARS AGO WHICH CANNOT BE USED AS IT FELL OVER DUE TO BAD WORK DONE BY A DIGGER WITH ELECTRICITY. We only ask for a decent job done.
Please can you start putting street lights on these poles…it’s very hard on a man’s eyes to drive at night…vehicle light glaring in your eye…all we eyes getting damage for the night driving….and hardly can see in the night….sheesh
if women’s eyes are immune to on coming traffic glare, wondering if they know there is an affliction called night driving blindness.
Wondeing if they know there are specific lenses/glasses designed specifically to assist reduction of on coming traffic glare at night while driving.
Wondering why ignorance is posted as a genuine complaint when lack of knowledge is the basis for complaining to others.
Dam Dolly house game they playing.make up the rules along the way. You all are serving one country. S**t man.