The NEA Pole Rental Crisis – A Fight for Internet Affordability
The digital backbone of Nepal is currently facing an existential challenge. In 2025, the Internet Service Providers’ Association of Nepal (ISPAN) intensified its legal and public battle against the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) over a massive 700% increase in utility pole rental fees.
ISPAN argues that the NEA’s unilateral price hikes violate the “scientific rental model” previously agreed upon by government committees. Our recent press conference at the Hotel Radisson highlighted that these costs would force ISPs to raise consumer prices by Rs 150 to Rs 300 per month—directly undermining the “Internet for All” mission.
Recent Action: ISPAN filed a writ petition in the High Court, leading to an interlocutory order that temporarily restrains NEA from cutting fiber cables in major hubs like Pokhara and Kathmandu.
The Conflict: NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising has maintained a hardline stance on recovering dues, while ISPAN Chair Sudhir Parajuli has emphasized that cutting lines is a violation of the Essential Services Act.
Our Demand: A separate, independent regulatory body to fix infrastructure sharing rates and prevent state-owned utilities from acting as monopolies.