Bermuda last night went into its first night without CableVision as the two sides in the dispute seemed to be digging in for a long fight.

With neither Bermuda CableVision Ltd. nor Government seemingly willing to budge, all that is certain is that sales for video stores, book stores and TV antennae are going to break records.

In the meantime, the combatants, for lack of a better word, are in a chicken and egg situation. CableVision won't sign a service level agreement without a long licence and Government won't grant a long licence without a service level agreement.

This is patently ridiculous. It is time to stop assigning blame, and there is plenty to go around, and to sit down and negotiate an agreement that both sides can live with.

Neither side is coming out of this with much credit, and what is needed now is for both sides, possibly with the assistance of an arbitrator or mediator, to do some forthright and honest negotiating.

For CableVision's customers, this is an ideal opportunity for families to come together to read, play board games, do homework and enjoy the last long nights of summer.

If this goes on long enough, people may find that they don't need cable TV nearly as much as they thought they did.