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MPLA: No beef with Verizon
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Posted on May 08 2005
The Marianas Public Lands Authority has defended itself against an accusation that it is harassing Verizon by insisting on imposing a fee for underground utility cables.
MPLA public information officer Ed Arriola Jr. maintained that the agency maintains a good business relationship with Verizon.
“I’ve heard from people, even read in the paper, that MPLA is harassing Verizon. That is not true. I’m not going to speak for Verizon. But I can say that MPLA, in its dealings with Verizon, will continue to act in good faith. There’s never been any fallout between MPLA and Verizon,” Arriola said.
He added that MPLA’s intention was simply to reach a “clear and reasonable agreement” with the telecommunication company regarding its use of public lands.
Nevertheless, Arriola noted that the proposal is now in the hands of the Legislature, not of the MPLA.
Currently pending in the House of Representatives is House Bill 14-324, which would prevent MPLA from assessing utility companies a fee for burying cables in public lands.
MPLA has vehemently opposed the measure. MPLA said that the bill, if signed into law, would shortchange over 3,000 homestead applicants who could be benefiting from revenues from utilities with cables buried in public lands.
Being a self-sustaining agency, MPLA noted that its main sources of revenues are the lease and rental of public lands.
The bill however notes that the customers will ultimately bear the brunt of additional costs, if MPLA started charging utility companies for underground cables.
The bill also maintains that utilities that take the initiative to bury cables should be rewarded, rather than assessed fees.
“The Legislature finds that the burying of cables utilized by regulated utilities is beneficial to the people of the Commonwealth and should be encouraged. In the likely event that the Commonwealth is impacted by a typhoon, it is essential for the safety of [the] Commonwealth’s residents that communications and power transmission lines remain operative,” a portion of the bill reads.
Further, having cables buried underground enhances the aesthetics of the islands as a tourist destination, as views would not be spoiled by webs of hanging utility cables, the bill says.
