An Island-wide cable black-out set for midnight tonight was averted after Government got a last minute restraining order against CableVision.

Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb said the injunction, which stops CableVision from pulling the plug for the next 90 days, would allow the sides to talk without any threats.

But the two sides were far apart yesterday with CableVision seeking meetings but Ms Webb saying there was nothing to talk about.

CableVision wants a 15-year licence once its current deal expires today but the Ministry will only give them a one-year deal until the company promises customers better service.

Ms Webb said: "We are pleased with the injunction. For the next 90 days they can't shut it down.

"We didn't want to risk it on a bank holiday. They have done it before so we didn't want another World Cup scenario," said the Minister referring to when the company temporarily pulled the plug on ZBM's coverage of the recent football fest in a row over exclusive coverage.

"It will give them enough time to get something to us in writing and for us to sit down and resolve this situation.

"This will give them enough time to do what they have to do.

"Threat and ultimatums are not a good place to start negotiations."

She said her legal team had been in the court since the morning trying to get the injunction by Justice Norma Wade-Miller but it had been a lengthy process.

CableVision chairman Rod Hanson said this would entail spending millions of dollars with no guarantee it could be given another licence next year.

The company wanted a cooling off period for one or two weeks to sort out the problem but Ms Webb said with the licence being offered they had a one-year cooling off period.

She said a longer period was possible if Cablevision provided service level agreements.

"Then we can rescind the one-year and give a longer period. That's always the issue."

However Mr. Hanson said: "The nuances are very small but they are significant.

Last night CableVision lawyer Alan Dunch said he had been served the writ at about 5.40 p.m and he said he would advice his clients to comply until it could be challenged in court.

He said no supporting documents had come with the writ but he said his knowledge of the Telecommunications Act was that you weren't allowed to operate without a licence.

Cablevision's licence expires at midnight tonight however Ms Webb said the company, which serves around 16,000 of the Island's 22,000 plus homes, had already been sent another new one-year licence.

Mr. Hanson said under the Telecommunications Regulations, Government had to grant a licence of at least ten years and he said all the other telecommunication carriers were on 15-year deals.

However this too was denied by Ms Webb who said term limits were at the discretion of the Minister and no Government would box themselves in.

She said the public had given her no-nonsense stance 100 percent backing because they were sick of CableVision's service and wanted Government to make sure the company did better.

She said rebates for lost service was a big issue.

"If Belco turn off our lights we know they are going to give us a rebate, BTC are the same. The problem with Cablevision is they can't tell if the service is off so the onus is on the consumer to prove it."

Mr. Hansen said the company had been asked to provide technical specifications about improving service but was being blanked by the Ministry when they asked for details.

At an earlier press conference he said he was off to negotiate with the Ministry but later admitted no meeting had been set up.

He denied he was against competition but said he wanted a level playing field.

He added: "It goes without saying that we will of course abide by the order of the court and continue to operate the cable system, even though as of tomorrow night we will be without a cable license.

"It certainly was never our desire to shut down the service.

"Although it is unfortunate that the Minister has still not granted us a meeting, we're pleased that, as a result of the intervention of the Supreme Court, our customers will be able to enjoy cable service over the long holiday weekend.

"However, the issue of our license remains unresolved and we are hopeful that the Minister will be open to discussion on Tuesday so that we may resolve the matter expeditiously to the satisfaction of our customers."