Home LANs to be cut off by order (document)

ERB has managed to get a document ordering to destroy home LANs in Minsk. It is signed by the head of Minsk TV and Information networks Bychkou and the director general of “Minsk housing and communal services” Valsilyeu. The document describes the actions of special commissions for the next year. The plan supposes drawing up protocols of administrative infringements against administrators of networks. We have talked to the chief engineer of MTIN Uladzimir Papko. He explained ERB who were members of those special commissions, why they started “dealing” with LANs and shared his opinion about the new order.

A commission on LANs will be composed of representatives of four organizations.

Uladzіmіr Papko: “There will be the owner of the block of flats (housing and communal department), District Department of the Interior – security agency, tax inspectorate – to control illegal money, “Beltelecam” - telecommunications workers and our organization. The housing and communal department will be responsible for everything”.

Uladzіmіr Papko confirmed to ERB that there were practically no legal LANs in Minsk.

Uladzіmіr Papko: “Maybe there are a few. For example, “Dzelavaya Setka” is constructing a network and it will be legal”.

A new commission will not only cut off cables, it will also make administrators responsible for not obeying their demands. The main goal of the commission is to eliminate networks.

U.P.: The top priority is finding and eliminating LANs.
ERB: But they are easily restored.
U.P.: There is the tax inspectorate for it. They will find the administrator and punish him, so that there would be nobody to restore the network.
ERB: Will it be possible to prove that a certain person is the administrator?
U.P.: Sure.
ERB: I see. Will anything legal be suggested in return?
U.P.: Of course. “Beltelecam” may start making LANs. There is “Dzelavaya Setka”. All the other providers are only “Beltelecam”’s sprouts. “Byfly” existing now is also a network.

Theoretically an administrator can legalize everything. He should become a private entrepreneur and collect a great number of documents. But it seems it will remain theory.

Uladzіmіr Papko: “It is not forbidden. You can even open your own dial office. But nobody has ever done it. You see: there is an organization that is a monopolist just like us. And you want to interfere in its monopoly. The organization has all the advantages. Do you think you can interfere? The same thing is about LANs”.

Uladimir Papko gave a straightforward answer to ERB’s question why they had started dealing with LANs.

Uladzіmіr Papko: “The need an additional influx of money, I understand it. Everybody knows that a lot of money is circulating there. And the money does not get into “the cash register”.

The chief engineer says that he will probably have to cut off LAN cables in his own block of flats.

- Uladzіmіr Mіhailavіch, are you in a LAN?
- I am using “Byfly”.
- Is there a LAN in your house?
- There probably is. To tell you the truth, I must come and cut it off first of all in my house (smiling).

However, Uladzіmіr Papko is not really sure about the efficiency of the new order. Sometimes it is harder to cut off cables than to restore them.

Uladzіmіr Papko thinks it is a still-born order. The commission should be technically educated. Try opening an electric control unit in your house and find out what cables are inside. You will start cutting off cables but you may cut off something legal there! The elevator, the on-door speakerphone… There are houses where we have installed systems of registration of usage of resources – heat carriers, energy carriers… There are a lot of cables. You cannot understand where they lead to just by looking at them. I think everything will die off and the situation will resemble the problem of satellite dishes”.

On the other hand, if Minsk City Executive Committee has worked out such a document and planned everything for a year it will be waiting for accounts. Probably, the columns “protocol of administrative infringement” and “forced dismantling” will not remain empty.