The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) executives yesterday said it had incurred “significant” financial cost as a result of copper theft over the weekend, which resulted in 600 customers having their services affected.

Eldri Ferguson-Mackey, vice-president of BTC’s northern Bahamas operations, told Tribune Business she was still working out the financial cost of Saturday’s theft.

“We had a copper theft on Saturday in the Lewis Yard area. The police apprehended the two gentlemen,” she said. “The primary concern is whenever you see copper theft, our customers are being disadvantaged.

“It’s not one or two customers who are being affected; we’re talking hundreds of customers. With the Lewis Yard incident we had about 600 customers affected.”

Mrs Ferguson-Mackey added that BTC incurs significant costs from such incidents. “The financial cost is significant. There is not only an inconvenience to customers but also dollars and cents to BTC,” she added.

“You have to look at the cost of restoration, overtime required and it’s also directing our resources away from the restoration efforts. It causes us to have to go back and rework areas that we would have worked. We have been dealing with this issue since after the hurricane when there were a lot of downed cables and some persons saw that as a an opportunity.”

BTC will be running a series of advertisements in the coming weeks asking customers to help curb copper theft.

“We are willing to offer a reward for anyone that provides us information which leads to the capture of individuals that are sabotaging and stealing the copper from BTC’s outside plant,” said Mrs Ferguson-Mackey.