REV TV promises to be “fully cooperative” with the process
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As it welcomed an investigation by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) into complaints over its TV service, Cable Bahamas said those complaints stem from limitations with its legacy technology.
URCA last week pledged to investigate the quality of Cable Bahamas’ television service, describing the widespread service quality issues as “concerning”.
In a statement on its approval of Cable Bahamas Limited’s (CBL) application to restructure its pay television packages, the regulator said it found it necessary to “address customers’ discontent with CBL’s service quality, which was a recurring theme in the consultation responses”.
Cable Bahamas said in a statement in response to the regulator’s announcement: “REV TV welcomes the inquiry by URCA regarding customer complaints of our cable TV service and plans to be fully cooperative.
“Cable Bahamas has a track record of transparency and cooperation with the utility regulators. We communicate regularly with them in quarterly reports and participate actively in the consumer protection complaint process.”
The company added: “Many of these complaints stem from the limitations of our legacy technology. There are some technical issues, which we can and are addressing now, while investing in upgrades to resolve the more systemic challenges.
“We want our REV TV customers to know that we hear them and remain committed to delivering the best TV experience on the market. Our repackaging strategy, now approved by URCA, will begin by offering customers more choice and control over their TV viewing experience.”
The company noted that two years ago it undertook a massive exercise to swap out legacy set top boxes, replacing them with next-generation technology.
“Today, we are using our data machinery to be more proactive in addressing network issues before they start to affect consumers,” the company noted.
“Every year, as our network traffic grows, we have a maintenance program to split our nodes, which lessens the potential for network congestion, ensuring customers have a fast, reliable and robust experience.
“We fully understand that our competitors, Netflix and other IPTV companies, are nimble because they are not subjected to regulation, and they cater to the new TV viewing habits of consumers because they are using new TV technology.
“Our repackaging is an important part of delivering immediate improvements for REV TV, but our full road map will bring our own IPTV service to the market.
“That is why we are in the process of investing millions in our next-gen network to leapfrog the challenges we have today.”