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Country size, threat to broadband plan – Minister

By on April 2, 2014

The large size of the country and getting state governments from different political parties to implement the federal policies on broadband may be major challenges facing the Ministry of Communication Technology and other stakeholders as far as the National Broadband Plan is concerned.

Although the National Economic Council has agreed to crash the cost for the Right of Way, the state governments are currently not showing the required commitment in the area of implementation of the agreement.

The Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, expressed this position at a forum on accelerating nationwide broadband access in Nigeria organised by OpenMedia Group in conjunction with Atlantic Telecoms in Lagos.

Johnson noted that in the case of Lagos State where the ministry had recorded a landmark achievement for the Right of Way, it had to work with the Ministry of Works, Science and Technology and the Urban Regulatory Authority.

She disclosed that all states had agreed to crash the cost of RoW and in exchange get access to schools in their domain.

The minister said, “When it comes to implementation, there is no commitment from the states.

“It becomes difficult to implement a policy when we have to work with different state governors from different political parties and with different agenda as well as different players in the 36 states of the country.”

Describing as huge the task of getting the entire 36 states governor to key into the broadband plan for the nation, she stated that none of the governors was unaware of the importance of broadband to the growth of the national economy.

However, “what most states are concerned about is the need to increase the revenue base of their states,” the minister said.

The Federal Government, the minister noted, had pledged to put intensified efforts towards reducing the cost of Internet-enabled mobile phone so as to get more Nigerians onto the Internet.

Johnson also said that President Goodluck Jonathan was currently backing the move by the ministry to de-gazette a law by the Nigerian Copyright Commission to impose a two per cent tax on mobile devices in case they are used to infringe on copyright laws in the future.

The minister, however, urged the private sector to come out with plans on how to manufacture low cost devices that would enable more Nigerians to have access to the Internet, stressing that “reduction in taxes on devices will not increase Internet penetration.”

She explained, “Penetration goes up when there is relevant content and people see the need to get on the Internet and so people will buy a N2,000 phone, if it will get them onto the Internet.”

The minister assured that she would not advocate the imposition of taxes on devices while pushing for affordable broadband Internet access for Nigerians at same time, adding that the Federal Government was poised towards tackling the challenges of broadband access.

She, however, observed that the operators had not helped matters as the huge money they spent on promos gave them away as heavy spenders, thereby making it possible for states to demand all sorts of taxes from them.

Johnson expressed shock concerning claims from certain quarters that the ministry had not carried the industry along effectively, stating that there was a wide consultation before the broadband plan was forwarded to the Presidency for approval.

She said a committee of all stakeholders was setup to draw the broadband plan that was eventually submitted to the Federal Government, explaining that all the operators had their several broadband plans and strategies, and all that was done was to merge and harmonise them into one. “It took us six months instead of three months to work and bring all under one national plan.”

In the same vein, the Chairman OpenMedia Group, Mr. Ernest Ndukwe, said telecoms infrastructure was key to improving human life and economic development.

Ndukwe said that it was very important that broadband became a universal service at a very low cost to the people because of its impact on education and health.

He, therefore, urged government to foster its development.

 

 

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