Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/4326/-1/130/
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Escalating Costs Force Cable TV To Up Rates
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Caribbean Cable Communications (CCC) has announced a modest rate increase for its television service on the island with effect from March 1, but its rates for high-speed internet and telephone services will remain unchanged.
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Lee Bertman, Barbara Owen and Donald Curtis
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President of the company, Lee Bertman, has informed Minister of Communications, Kenneth Harrigan, of the impending increased cable television rates. He told the Minister in a letter dated February 1 that over the past years CCC had embarked on a significant programme of investment and upgrading. This included the installation of fibre optic cable throughout the island along with back-up power supplies, additional dishes and head on equipment. He pointed out that the company’s aim was to provide for customers in Anguilla a television service that was on par with that provided by operators in North America.
Mr. Bertman said the last price increase undertaken by CCC was almost three years ago in April 2004 and over that period the company had been subjected to tremendous cost increases. He identified some areas of significant cost increases as being – programming 36.6 %; Electricity 60.3 %; and Technical Salaries 28.7%.
He stressed that over the three years the company had added five new channels and provided cricket programming demanded by customers. He explained that the last rate increase was limited to Tier programming but that the premium programmes had not been increased in over five years and the basic price had not been changed for eleven years.
The new prices will be a 50% increase for basic service from EC$50 to EC$75 per month; a 35% increase for the Tier service from EC$90 to EC$121.50. The Tier service package will be increased by 22% from EC$90 to EC$110, which is less than the increased cost but the company is hoping to defray some of the higher costs through subscriber growth. The premium service will be increased from EC$15 to EC$18 per month.
“In making these increases, we pledge to the Government and people of Anguilla that we will offer a cable TV service second to none,” Mr. Bertman stated in his letter to the Minister of Communications, made available to the media by CCC. “We have ordered new dishes and receivers which will greatly enhance reception and reliability. Several other improvements are in the planning process and will be implemented in 2007.”