NA to Amend all ICT Acts

The National Assembly has begun moves aimed at amending the 9-year-old telecom Act in a bid to meet present day demand of the industry, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek has learnt. With the issue of ICT convergence, poor quality of quality, security for investment and infrastructure and others, the present Act has clearly outlived its usefulness. Oyetunde Ojo, ACN, representing Ekiti West/Ijoro/Efon-Alaaye Federal Constituency 2, and chairman House Committee on Communications made this known in Lagos at the weekend, adding that the exercise will commence before the end of April. Ojo said there was need to synchronize policies for the sector and that the legislative exercise would touch the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, National Broadcasting Commission Act 1992, Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1990, and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Act 2007 as well as other related Acts. The lawmaker said that both the Upper and Lower Chambers of the parliament have joined hands to ensure that Acts are amended to suit the exigencies of modern time. “In 1992 the Act was created to empower the regulator to ensure the operators abide by the ethics of the business; from 2003 till date is about nine years, and it can not work in the present environment. For instance, for an Act that says if an operator is found wanting the company pays N100, 000; the Act of course, is not well guided. Events have passed the Act. He said Ojo added, “Telecomm is something we have to re-plan to meet present challenges. The sector is moving at a very high speed. We need to have a strategic plan for probably more than ten years. For instance, broadband in Nigeria has remained on lower ebb compared to other parts of the world; of which, if you open your internet facility it takes more than 4o minutes to get connected; whereas in a place like the United Kingdom you get connected on a click”.