The Committee gave the assurance during its oversight visit to the Commission on Wednesday.
Committee Chairman Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, in his remarks, pointed out that the responsibilities of the Committee necessitated the need to ensure that the Information Sector kept up with technological advancements.
As law makers, he said, the members would continue to protect the present enabling laws as well as strive to create more laws that were in tandem with global trends.
Wadada further reiterated that the funding of each sector within the Committee’s memoranda of operation remained a tasking responsibility. He reiterated that the Committee was willing to assist any organization that needed funding within the confines of the law, emphasizing that the funding of the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting was a major facet in the information sector that could not be taken for granted if Nigeria were to make its June 17, 2012 deadline, and eventually the ITU deadline of 2015.
The Chairman also pointed out that the on-coming elections in 2011 posed another strenuous challenge to the Information sector, most especially to the NBC, the broadcast regulatory body, which was expected to play a significant role towards actualising the present government’s Commitment towards credible elections.
Alhaji Wadada stressed that such credible elections could not be achieved without proper articulation, propagation and dissemination of Information.
While briefing the team earlier on the activities of the Commission, the Director General, Engr Yomi Bolarinwa explained that the law that established the Commission intended to liberalise broadcasting so as to enable the sustenance of viable standards.
He noted that the Commission had continued to work towards sanitizing the airwaves to ensure the right of the public to quality broadcasting.
On the challenging issues confronting the Commission, Engr. Bolarinwa Explained that the transition from Analogue to Digital terrestrial broadcasting was a global movement and that Nigeria could not afford to lag behind.
The Director General stressed that the only way to meet up with the Nigeria’s transition deadline of June 17, 2012 was for the government to urgently come up with a strong policy statement on the transition to digital broadcasting, which also demanded intensive sensitisation campaigns for effective publicity.
Engr Bolarinwa further explained that the advantages of digital broadcasting could not be quantified as it provided more space on the spectrum, which can then be harnessed for other uses, and had the potential to create new jobs in the sector.
He pleaded that the provision of Set-Top Boxes (STBs) should be subsidized by the government in order to ensure that every Nigerian had access to the digital broadcasts; otherwise the larger percentage of the populace would not receive any broadcasts after the transition.
Other issues facing the Commission include the convergence of broadcasting with Information and Communication Technology where he said a strong regulatory framework was needed to structure the development in such a way that it would benefit the nation.
The Director General then clarified that Community Broadcasting was already operational in Nigeria through Campus Radio. He explained that already more than 23 institutions of higher learning had been duly licensed and were already operating, or at various stages of taking off.
Pressing issues that affected proper regulation of the broadcasting Industry came to the fore during the Interactive session. It was noted that shortening the length of time it usually took to obtain a licence was beyond the Commission’s control as the constitution vested only the presidency with the power to approve a broadcast licence.
On the restriction of the issuance of licences in some zones, it was noted that the spectrum was already fully occupied in those areas, and issuing any new licences would cause interference between contiguous channels.
It was resolved that there was a need for the National Broadcasting Commission to be fully funded to enable it drive a successful transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting for Nigeria.
The Commission, it was also resolved, needed sufficient funds to acquire jamming facilities to ensure compliance to broadcast regulations, and to manage trans-border emissions.
The meeting stressed the need for obedience to the rule of law and for firm and fair enforcement of the provisions of the Code and the law
Story filed by Tabitha Bunshak
