The Internet service providers decided to turn off the Internet access to their subscribers on February 3, 11-12 and 20. In this way, the providers want to voice their protest to the entities putting obstacles to the operation of the Internet companies, and earning money on them.
Vladimir Padyukov, director of the ISP “Pavlabor”, pointed out in his an interview to the InternetUA edition that new communication technologies 3G and 4G suggested the availability of special units providing communication and located at a distance of 100-200 meters from each other. For that purpose it is possible to use poles like lampposts for lighting streets. In that situation, the service providers had to negotiate with energy companies, which took advantage of their exclusive ownership of the poles and put unreasonably high prices for using them.
Thus, according to Mr. Padyukov, the “Kyivoblenergo” evaluated the use of one supporting pole at UAH 30 per month. In addition, the company requires paying in advance for several months, and this sum totals hundreds of thousands of hryvnias.
The National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities did not respond to the repeated complaints of telecommunications companies on this issue. The regulatory authority justifies it by the fact that the regional energy companies are privately owned and so they regulate their service pricing by themselves. However, as emphasized by V.Padyukov, let’s say, the government owns 65% of the “Kharkivoblenergo”’s stocks.
The Internet service providers can not see any alternative way to reach out the authorities, but protests. On February 3, the organizers will hold a press conference and submit their claims to the Anti-Corruption Committee of the Verkhovna Rada. On this day, all over the country the Internet access will be shut down for an hour. The Ukrainians will not be able to use the Internet for the same time on February 11-12. These days, the protesters plan to submit their complaints to the Security Service of Ukraine. On February 20, the Internet will be also turned off for an hour, and the protesters will pass their appeal to the Ukrainian President.
The scheduled protests will be definitely joined by providers in Dnepropetrovsk, Sumy, Mariupol and Chernigov. However, service providers in other Ukrainian cities are likely to join the protest actions as well.
