Centaur Cable seeking legal advice to resolve licensing issue

The political divide between the two main political  parties is being fought on many fronts and while the House of Representatives is the usual battle ground for issues about the country’s failing infrastructure and the economy, during the past few weeks it has jumped to the cable television.  The battle over who shows HBO and MTV in Sand Hill is being fought by Clear the Land Cable, owned by the wife of UDP area representative Clear the Land Castro and Centaur Cable owned by the family of PUP leader John Briceño. Centaur has been given a license for Sandhill for 2008 to 2009. But when it renewed its license for 2010, the Chief Operating Officer for Centaur was told that the license was issued in error and the company would lose a portion of its customer base. The Belize Broadcasting Authority has invited Centaur to a meeting to discuss the issue on Tuesday.  News Five spoke to Errol Cattouse of Centaur who said that the meeting did not have the desired outcome.

Jose Sanchez

“The subscribers that had cable, are they still with cable or without cable?”

Errol Cattouse, Chief Operating Officer, Centaur Cable

“They are without cable.”

Jose Sanchez

“How many of them more or less?”

Errol Cattouse

“We’re talking about anywhere from fifty to ninety percent. They did ask us to meet with them, the authority. We had gotten legal advice not to do so.”

Jose Sanchez

“Why didn’t you go I thought you wanted your case to be heard by the authority?”

Errol Cattouse

“Yes but we do need the case to the authority but what we need from the authority is also what exactly do we need to go in and present it. This had never been done before we are setting the precedence for all cable companies.”

Jose Sanchez

“Don’t you think going in to have that discussion, your case heard would have been helpful? You are refusing to meet with them.”

Errol Cattouse

“We’re not refusing to meet with them. That’s not what I’m saying at all”

Jose Sanchez

“So when will you meet with them?”

Errol Cattouse

“It’s gonna be rescheduled. We’re not saying we don’t want to meet with them. We do want to meet with them. We do want to settle the case. This may affect all the other cable companies. It’s never been done before. The authorities have never called in a cable company and ask them to come in and justify why they should renew their license. If we walk in there and set precedence, then all the other cable companies may face the same scenario.  What we want to do tell the association this and this is going on, this is what we are going to present to them. We don’t want to complicate the issue for all the other cable companies.”