October 29: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has reminded Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to sign agreements within mid-November to determine the rental charge for using the NEA’s poles.

Issuing a statement, the NEA urged the ISPs to sign agreements in this regard within the given deadline.

The NEA has urged the service providers that have been using the electricity poles of NEA without any authorization to declare the locations, quantity and timeframe of the unauthorized use themselves and come forward for an agreement within mid-November.

It may be noted that the NEA had removed internet cables from its poles in early October after the ISPs failed to clear their overdue amount for using the poles. This had led to a brief disruption in internet services in many places across the country until the government intervened and  provided a timeframe to resolve the issue.

The NEA and ISPs are at loggerheads since a long time after the NEA increased the rental charge of utility poles. ISPs have been saying that the move would result in an increase in internet fare for the consumer, which is against the concept of Digital Nepal envisaged by the government.