A top lawyer yesterday hit out at an application by a would-be rival in the cable TV stakes.

Alan Dunch, counsel for Bermuda Cablevision, said the application for more than 30 channels from Coral Cable Vision Network Ltd appeared to be being treated with "unseemly haste''.

And he added he was concerned about the "apparent secrecy'' surrounding the bid.

Mr. Dunch was speaking after the Telecommunications Commission refused to adjourn a hearing into the Coral Cable application, despite his pleas for more time to prepare a submission.

He told the Commission that he had only heard about the application when he was on holiday over Christmas and New Year.

Mr. Dunch said: "My principal concern is to ensure that my clients are given an adequate opportunity to assess the bona fides of this application.

"It's impossible to do that when we have only had, at best, 17 days notice - 17 days which fell over Christmas and the New Year period.'' And he pointed out that Cablevision had made its own application for 31 extra channels in August of last year -- and was still waiting for a decision.

Telecommunications Commission chairman Charles Collis allowed lawyer David Kessaram of Cox and Wilkinson to make the case for Coral Cable -- and the chairman scheduled another sitting on January 30 for Mr. Dunch to make his case against approval.

Coral Cable is a joint Bermudian-USA firm headed by Island architect Stephen West with a minority US interest.

Mr. Kessaram told the Commission that the application was for a wireless cable TV system which would utilise Cable and Wireless equipment and that talks had begun with the firm.

He said: "All of the foreign equity participants in this venture have a considerable wealth of knowledge and experience in this type of broadcast system.'' Mr. Kessaram added that Coral Cable had submitted confidential financial information.

But he added: "I believe that the Commission will be able to see that adequate financing exists for the building of this system should the licence be granted.

"I believe that the financing, the commitment to financing, is sufficient to get the system built and operational to the point where it is generating revenue by itself.'' And he said letters of commitment from providers of material for the new channel had already been submitted.

He added the signal which would be used would not interfere with an application already granted to Hardell Entertainment.

And he the consortium was committed to offering channels of educational value, like CNN and Discovery, free to schools.

The Bermuda Broadcasting Company (ZBM) filed an objection to the plan, saying they had exclusive rights to US TV channels which Coral Cable wanted to carry.

Mr. Kessaram said: "We will enter into negotiations with them to secure these networks -- it will be beneficial to them. Local advertising will be shown through the system.'' The owners of The Royal Gazette also lodged an objection, concerned about the possibility of Coral Cable becoming a vehicle for local advertising.

But Mr. Kessaram said the only local advertising which would be carried would be on the existing terrestrial channels.