Your B.E.L bill, for many it's been a source of pain in recent months.
And with the company acknowledging that rising consumption across the board has driven up bills, you're certainly not alone.
It's a problem that activist Geovanni Brackett was incensed enough to post about, but he says he couldn't have imagined the response that would be garnered from that one post.
Today he told Cherisse Halsall that he's launching a campaign to, quote, "End the Pain" of electricity consumers who he feels have become the victims of B.E.L.'s electricity monopoly.
If your light bill looks like this one - with a sharp climb from month to month, you may be feeling the pinch of an inexplicably high utility bills, since the onset of COVID-19 have forced people to make the terrible choice between paying their bills and feeding their family.
It's an issue that sometimes journalist always activist Geovanni Brackett is speaking out against.
Geovanni Brackett - Activist "I made a Facebook post reflecting my discontent with my electricity bill at home. A year ago our bill was doubling but I figured some changes needed to have been done so we changed all the lights to L.E.D. and more electricity efficient and we brought it down to under $80 dollars at some point and we were doing well for the first two months of the COVID it was regular but every month after that it started to double, it went from about $80 something dollars to $170 which is very drastic. In response to my post hundreds of people started to comment that they've been experiencing the same thing and very credible people legit people who have no reason to be mischievous."
This afternoon Brackett told us about the launch of a virtual campaign to advocate against what he calls BEL's chanciness.
Geovanni Brackett "I have now taken it upon myself to create a campaign. I'm calling it end the pain campaign, "BEL Rates". I have created a Facebook page under the title BEL Awareness. On there you will see the campaign, end the pain campaign, BEL Rates and also we're going to be attaching a survey. In a two-hour livestream using the plus TV and also breaking Belize News platform, I will be hosting a special two hour show with an appropriate co-host to look at the data and discuss advocacy against a monopoly."
But is he doing it for the people or just to cause mischief before the election?
Geovanni Brackett "I have a P.h.D consultant who wishes not to be named, who is offering his time, I have an artist that I can't even afford who has been through it who has been my very good friend from a young age. I have Channel 7, who has been my friends, who are giving me an interview, I'm not paying for this. So, at the end of the day, Cherisse, it's not about backing, my bill is backing my initiative when I look at my high bill that's my motivation."
But is it his only motivation?
Cherisse Halsall "This might be less about you caring about your bill and the suffering of poor people and just making some political noise at this time."
Geovanni Brackett "That's why I like the record and I'm going to send you the screenshot of October 20th, I made my first post but because of my Dad health and thing, I wasn't able to transform it into an advocacy. I'm not new, I'm not a novice in terms of advocacy but I feel very passionate about this and that's why I'm doing it and there are a lot of people who are being affected by BEL rates currently and it needs to be looked at and so there needs to be an advocacy to address this particular issue rather than people just ranting on social media. We need to look at the options of what actions can be taken, at least maybe by this, BEL can be aware that there is a lot of angry customers and not because you are a monopoly, means that you should take advantage of us."
And if you're also feeling the pinch and down with Brackett's message you can get more information on the end the pain campaign on his new Facebook page BEL Awareness.
