Regulation: Opinion Poll Rates NCC Low

Majority of respondents in the just concluded Nigeria CommunicationsWeek’s opinion poll said that the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) is not doing enough to regulate telecom companies in the country.


A total of 242 were cast in the opinion poll which ran from December 13, 2012 to January 13 this year, out of which 69 per cent returned a negative verdict.


Another 18 per cent voted “YES” to the poll which asked “Is the NCC regulating the telecom companies enough?” while 12 per cent were not certain.


NCC has in recent past struggled to maintain the delicate balance upon which the industry stands; government; operators; and the consumers.


With government’s unseen hands, the independence of the telecoms regulator is in question.


For instance, government’s position in the frequency band racketeering scandal at the commission points to the lean of the commission.


Also, the federal government was instrumental to the hefty N1.17 billion fine paid by the four major telcos over poor service quality and failure to meet agreed key performance indicators (KPI) as well as the blanket ban on telecommunications promos and lotteries.


Mrs. Omobola Johnson, minister of Communications Technology, acknowledged that much recently when she said that in order to further improve quality of service delivery of telecoms operators, the ministry mandated the NCC to ban all promotional activities negatively impacting quality delivery of telecoms services.


She said government became worried last year over the poor state of telecommunication activities in the country, and was compelled to take certain decisions, which included the ban on promos and lotteries.


But such interference with the telecoms regulator may hamper growth in the sector while Nigeria risks losing investor’s confidence.


The power of the NCC under the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) of 2004 is to regulate independently of the Ministry of Information and Communications.


Where there is a dispute concerning NCC’s actions or decisions, aggrieved parties are under law, entitled, in the first instance, to seek remedies directly from the NCC which is mandated to explain its actions or as the last resort, to seek judicial intervention.