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Govt to consider CableVision changes

Bermuda CableVision has formally submitted to change its programme packages and fees as a result of a dispute over carrying Bermuda Broadcasting Company channels.According to Government, Cablevision has submitted a tariff filing with the Telecommunications Commission.A spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Environment, Planning, and Infrastructure Strategy said: “The Telecommunications Commission will consider the filing as soon as is possible.“The Ministry believes that it would be inappropriate to comment further on the filing as it is now before the Commission. Once the Commission has completed its due diligence, it will announce its decision with regard to the filing.“The Government’s intent through the 2008 amendments was to ensure that the public had a choice in the programming that they received. That remains true today.”The Commission is expected to meet in November to decide when CableVision can drop the channels, unless a compromise is reached before then.CableVision has said that it intends to dump ZBM and ZFB in the fall because of retransmission fees, saying that the company does not want to charge customers for channels they can already receive for free.The BBC however said that CableVision already charges its customers for the channels and said that it is not afraid of losing viewers as the broadcaster intends to switch to digital broadcasting by the end of the year.The dispute mirrors a dispute between the two companies over the same issue in 2008 when the CableVision declared that it would remove the channels from its line-up because it did not wish to pay the requested retransmission fee.