Staff Reporter
Panaji
Around one lakh individual fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) cable lines in the state were affected by the February 25 internet outage, which was a result of a drive carried out by the electricity department, internet service providers (ISPs) said on Wednesday.
With each line servicing a family of four, at least four lakh consumers were impacted by the crashing of Wi-Fi and internet lines, the service providers said.
Meanwhile, after all the activity of snapping of the fibre optic cables by the department, it is doubtful whether the service providers will pay as per the notices issued to them by the department, as the amount is exorbitant.
Service providers said the show-cause notices have asked for average Rs 3 crore per operator, which, they say, is too high. They are also sceptical of the Rs 300 annual fee per pole as demanded by the electricity department.
The service providers are now demanding that the state government activate its site on the GatiShakti Sanchar Portal of the Union ministry. “The portal gives access to all information on the status of applications for installing digital infrastructure at a glance.
The Goa site, although open, is not functional presently,” said All Goa Internet Service Providers Association president Mervyn Britto. He said a functioning site will provide clarity and ensure accountability.
“After the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, came into effect from January 1, this year, we submitted documents for registration with the Department of Information Technology (DoIT), which was previously the nodal department for digital infrastructure. After the cutting of cables, we have also submitted documents to the electricity department,” said Britto.
He said the service providers want to work with the electricity department and the department of IT for laying of cables and complying with regulations, but need guidance.
Internet disruption in the state reached the climax on Tuesday when cables hanging from 43 poles were cut by the electricity department. The department, which had been snapping cables gradually and area-wise for the last one month, severed internet mother cables on Tuesday, badly affecting a large number of businesses, banks, restaurants and residences in the state.
The service providers held a meeting with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on February 25 following which the government appointed two new nodal officers to oversee matters related to electricity department infrastructure.
