| The Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) says it is renting 8,000 of its power poles across the country to cable TV companies, a business that could potentially rake in at least $18M annually.However, the company is only collecting part of the revenues from this.GPL’s Chief Executive Officer, Bharat Dindyal,NFL Jerseys China, said the company is charging $2,300 per pole annually from the cable companies.Currently, E-Networks, Bartica Communications Network and Atlantic Cable TV Network (ACN) are the three companies that are using GPL’s infrastructure to run its cables.GPL is renting over 8,000 power poles to cable TV operators but is not collecting rent on all.Bartica and E-Networks are paying, Dindyal said.However, ACN, a Herstelling, East Bank Demerara-based operation, has not yet submitted a copy of its licence identifying the areas it is supposed to be operating in, and this is holding up the process of an agreement.The CEO also disclosed that his company has been working to have ACN fully compensate them for poles it has been using once an agreement is signed. Currently, E-Networks is reportedly using GPL’s poles in the city and on the East Coast of Demerara. ACN is on the East Bank of Demerara. Two more companies recently applied, says the CEO. However, these were not named.According to Dindyal, the cables used by the companies are small ones and do not provide too much of stress on the poles.“Each year GPL would revise the rates. The annual rates are based on the cost of poles, their expected life and annual maintenance cost,” Dindyal disclosed.E-Networks, one of two companies controversially granted cable TV licences in 2011, days before former President Bharrat Jagdeo left office, reportedly signed an agreement with GPL since last year. E-Networks is run by Vishok Persaud, the son of a former Member of Parliament.The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) has also been using GPL poles with efforts ongoing to work out an arrangement to recover costs, Dindyal said.GPL had said that it discovered last year that ACN, which has been in operation for 12 years, utilized its poles without consent. Following discussions with GPL, permission was given for the continued utilization of the poles in the interim while the agreement was being crafted.However, ACN had denied it was utilizing GPL’s poles without permission. An official of the company, Michael Bess, had said that in January 2011, his company and other cable operators met with Jagdeo and a directive was given for the companies to approach GPL to start their operations.He said that authorization was given for the operators to utilize the poles while GPL workout the particulars of the agreement.Bess said that it is pertinent to note that his company has been in existence for 12 years and is still awaiting permission to use the poles. He pointed out that E- Networks which came into existence after his company has already received consent from GPL to use its poles around Georgetown.The issue of the poles has been a sore one. GPL is short on supply and has been facing difficulties in getting from suppliers. The suppliers of the wallaba poles have been demanding more money, citing increased costs of going deeper into the forests. |
