TV cable fees too high says B.B.A.

If you’re a cable TV subscriber you may not be happy about recent rate increases. Well, the Belize Broadcasting Authority is not pleased either and has issued a statement saying that cable subscribers should not be paying anymore than thirty dollars a month plus vat. According to the authority, this rate was established at a meeting in 1995 and if your company is charging you more than this they are violating their licensing regulations. The authority says a meeting will be held on the nineteenth to discuss the problem with the cable companies. However, News Five spoke with Robert Reich of Channel Broadcasting which is currently charging forty dollars a month including VAT, who said he has never received any written notification of a maximum rate that he could charge. He says in fact he was told some time ago by the authority that he could charge whatever fee was necessary for him to deliver a quality service. Reich says he would never knowingly violate the terms of his license and is disappointed that the authority has issued a press release before contacting him to let him know the increase he implemented three months ago violated cable regulations. Reich also says that Channel Broadcasting may charge more than their competitors but his clients get their money’s worth in terms of service and technical upgrading. A regional survey indicates that countries in the region that are bound by international copyright law, unlike Belize, are paying approximately three times the amount Belizeans pay for far fewer channels.