Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb hit back last night at claims of impropriety over the issuing of cable broadcasting licences.

Ms Webb responded to a week of stories in which saw two more companies join Hardell Cable in threatening legal action over the manner in which World on Wireless (WOW) was issued a licence to begin broadcasting a 114 channel service early last year.

The Opposition has called for an independent inquiry into the licence process, something the Minister clearly does not believe is necessary.

In a Press statement, she said that she believed Bermuudians should be given an opportunity to supply the ?myriad of services offered in the telecommunications industry?.

?There has been much speculation and publicity in recent weeks concerning Hardell Cable and the status of their licence application,? read the statement.

?The Government position is that Hardell Cable does not have a cable broadcast license. We accept that Hardell Cable may have gone a long way to completing the application process, however, a process is not a licence but only the path toward one.

?It is Government?s view that matters such as these should be dealt with in the proper channels and forums.?

In a clear dig at Corey Butterfield, a Hardell director who has been quoted extensively in recent days on the thorny issue consistently claiming that his company is entitled a licence following its 1996 application, she said: ?Issues such as these should not be lobbied through the avenues of the media.?

Ms Webb concluded, ?It is our position that should Hardell provide us with an update on the material he supplied when applying for a licence, this material can be remitted to the Telecommunications Commission for review and we will consider their recommendations.?

Other issues such as why it was WOW applied for one type of licence and was granted another and responses to threats of legal action by licence applicant SGC Ventures and current operator CableVision were not answered in the Press statement.

The statement was issued yesterday after the Minister declined to answer questions posed directly by .