The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE FREE National Movement’s (FNM) chairman yesterday blasted Cable Bahamas (CBL) as being “wantonly arrogant” in its response to rejection of its monthly SuperBasic TV rate increase proposal, telling Tribune Business the company had not been sensitive to quality of service concerns raised by consumers.

Acknowledging that Cable Bahamas first received its license to provide services under the first Ingraham administration, Darron Cash said his criticism was directed nonetheless at the company’s lack of sensitivity to the customer concerns raised during the Utilities Regulatiion & Competition Authority’s (URCA) consultation process.

“Cable Bahamas has been a fairly successful company. They have provided a product that Bahamians in large numbers welcomed and used extensively, as indicated by the growth of the company itself,” Mr Cash said.

“The issue here is we think they ought to have been more sensitive to the service concerns members of the public expressed during that consultation period. While they appear to be aiming their reaction to URCA, they ought to be more sensitive to the concerns about service raised by the customer.

“Cable Bahamas has taken a fairly liberal response to the question of their obligation to put cable TV throughout the country, trying to lean more to the nuanced letter of the agreement as opposed to the spirit of the agreement.”

Mr Cash called the the BISX-listed communications provider’s response to URCA’s decision “inappropriate” and “typical of the wanton arrogance that Bahamians have seen from that company for many years”.

Following URCA’s decision, Cable Bahamas said the decision was “disappointing” and expressed frustration over the process with the regulator.

Cable Bahamas’ head of marketing, David Burrows, in an interview with Tribune Business, accused the regulator of operating “inside, outside and above the law” over a decision that will cost the company “millions and millions of dollars”.

Mr Burrows said the company was “outraged” by the Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority’s (URCA) rejection of its application for an $8 increase in the monthly price of its residential SuperBasic TV service.

But Mr Cash said: “They have consistently been tone deaf to the pleas of their most needy customers, in addition to demonstrating wilful ignorance to the concerns of every other customer group. They have been allowed to get away with too much for too long, and must now get accustomed to the fact that there is a new sheriff in town.

“I commend URCA for doing the right thing in this instance. The Bahamian people should feel vindicated as well; this is yet another example of the impact that the powerful voice of the people can have in shaping public policy.”

Mr Cash said that the former government passed legislation creating a Utilities Appeal Tribunal (UAT), a body which could review any decision by URCA, but acknowledged that it may not have been formed yet.

“It’s my understanding that some appointments still need to be made in that regard, but I’m not absolutely sure where that stands,” said Mr Cash. “The Minister with responsibility for Electronic Communications needs to work with haste to ensure that the UAT is fully functioning and prepared to address any appeal which may be brought to it.”

Mr Cash said Cable Bahamas’ behavious reflects the “typical demonstration of hubris that Bahamians have seen from foreign investors who got lucky enough to acquire monopolistic powers in small developing countries”.

“Cable Bahamas would do well to get their arrogance in check. They should also ensure that they do nothing to punish the subscribers to their already weak basic package. That, I submit, would be a prudent business decision,” said Mr Cash.