Most Islanders do not want to pay extra for local television programming, according to a survey released yesterday by Bermuda CableVision.

The online survey of 257 people in December said 83 percent of cable customers did not believe they should pay for ZFB, ZBM or VSB in light of a proposed amendment to legislation by the Ministry of Telecommunications and E-Commerce.

The change would mean cable companies would have to pay for local television programming ? a cost that would be passed onto consumers.

?We hope that the Ministry will take a careful look at these findings before making any changes,? CableVision general manager Jeremy Elmas said. ?The research clearly shows that residents are not willing to pay for local channels and that they believe these channels should be for free.? He said CableVision was concerned about hiking rates for consumers. He also called the proposed amendment ?discriminatory toward cable customers?.

Viewership of local television was moderate, the cable company said, with most people watching those channels for less than one hour per day.

CableVision also said a large percentage of viewers ? 63 percent ? watched all three local channels daily.

?Most respondents watch network or international programmes on local channels,? a Press release said.

CableVision hired Total Marketing & Communications Limited to analyse the results.

The report, posted on a CableVision website, said ten percent of those surveyed watched ZBM for more than two hours per day while only eight percent tuned into ZFB and seven percent for VSB for two hours each day.

Of the respondents willing to pay for local programming, it was suggested a fee of $1 or $2 be charged. Seventy percent of respondents were very likely to install an antennae and get the channels for free, should they no longer be available on cable.

CableVision said it provided its full report to the Ministry last week. Currently a ?must carry? rule obliges cable operators Bermuda CableVision and World on Wireless to show the local channels on their services, but they do not pay any fee for doing so. A proposed amendment likely to take effect this year if passed by Parliament will give Bermudian broadcasters the right to demand a payment from the cable firms. Viewers watching local channels via antenna reception would not be charged.