The Tribune

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday asserted that its fibre optic cables serving Eleuthera were deliberately cut in a bid to extort money from it over a land dispute.

The carrier, in a statement, said it expected all mobile, TV, Internet and fixed-line voice services in impacted areas across Eleuthera to be restored within the next 24 hours after they were severed last Thursday by what it alleges is an act of sabotage.

Stephen Coakley-Wells, BTC’s director of legal and government affairs, and corporate secretary, said the near five-day service disruption stems from a dispute as to who owns the property where BTC’s fibre optic cable infrastructure makes landfall in Eleuthera.

The property in question is located close to the island’s iconic Glass Window Bridge, but Mr Coakley-Wells said a person - who he did not identify - had recently claimed that they own this land and are demanding that BTC pay them compensation for its use.

BTC said this person had failed on multiple occasions to provide it with documents proving their ownership of the land but, within the past month, supplied copies of a purported Crown Land grant dated May 3, 2024. They are now said to be demanding compensation from BTC for past use of the land, even though the Crown grant - if valid - only confirms they have ownership and legal title for just a month.

BTC said this person had frequently threatened to cut its fibre optic cables unless monies were paid, adding that it was “reliably informed” this threat was carried out last Thursday. “For decades, the landing point of BTC’s sub-sea fibre optics cable has been on a property in North Eleuthera in the vicinity of the Glass Window Bridge,” Mr Coakley-Wells said.

“Recently, an individual claiming to be the owner of this property has demanded compensation from BTC for the use of the property. In multiple discussions with this individual, BTC requested evidence of ownership of the land, which the individual was unable to produce.

“The individual has now provided BTC with photographic copies of what purports to be a Crown grant of the property dated May 3, 2024, and is now demanding immediate payment for the prior years that the equipment has been on the property from BTC, despite the fact that the individual’s ownership of the land by virtue of a Crown grant, if valid, only arises from the date that the Crown grant was issued.”

Mr Coakley-Wells continued: “In an attempt to extort compensation from BTC, the individual has repeatedly threatened to willfully and intentionally sever BTC’s fibre optics cable on the property. BTC is reliably informed that the individual carried out this threat last Thursday, interrupting BTC’s service in North Eleuthera and surrounding areas.

“We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding as we work to swiftly resolve this unacceptable disruption caused by the individual’s actions.” And BTC is seemingly not the only carrier impacted, as Cable Bahamas revealed that its TV, Internet and fixed-line voice services to south Eleuthera, as well as Aliv’s mobile offering, had been disrupted by what it described as “sabotage”.

While it did not explicitly say so, the BISX-listed communications provider appeared to be referring to the same incident as BTC. Both carriers share network facilities and infrastructure to help maximise efficiencies, and reduce costs, in delivering services to consumers, and fibre optic cables are often included in these deals.

“Cable Bahamas wishes to inform the public of an ongoing service disruption affecting our valued customers in southern Eleuthera, particularly areas south of the Glass Window Bridge. Our preliminary assessment indicates that this unfortunate incident may be a result of sabotage,” Cable Bahamas said in a statement yesterday.

“We have promptly engaged local law enforcement and security agencies to investigate this matter thoroughly. Security measures have been escalated across our network to prevent further incidents, ensuring the integrity and reliability of our services.

“Our technical teams are on the ground in Eleuthera, working diligently to restore connectivity. We have deployed additional resources, including emergency response units and technical specialists, to expedite repair works. We are making every effort to minimise downtime and expect to resume full services as quickly as possible,” it added.

“Cable Bahamas understands the critical importance of our services to residents, businesses,and emergency services. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused and are committed to restoring reliable communications to the community of Eleuthera.”

Mr Coakley-Wells, speaking on behalf of BTC, said: “We estimate that all landline, mobile and television services will be fully restored across impacted areas within the next 24 hours....

“We remind the public that it is unlawful and a punishable offence to intentionally damage or destroy essential telecommunications equipment. Such acts pose a serious national security risk to the country by disrupting vital communications.

“BTC maintains a number of contractual arrangements with property owners pertaining to the use of private land to secure critical BTC’s equipment on every single island in the country. BTC is well aware of its responsibility to adequately compensate these property owners for the use of their property, and complies with its contractual and regulatory obligations,” he added.

“BTC remains committed to providing reliable telecommunications services across The Bahamas and continues to engage diligently with all relevant stakeholders to prevent future attempts to sabotage BTC’s equipment.”