The Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) have rejected the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) proposed sale of the 600MHz spectrum.
The NCC declared in March that frequency slots in the 600 MHz spectrum range were available for countrywide deployment.
However, BON stated in a letter that selling the frequency would result in the sudden loss of the bulk of television stations in the country, allowing foreign media maximum penetration into the country’s broadcast area.
The letter, dated April 25 and written to the Director-General of NBC and signed by Yemisi Bamgbose, executive secretary of BON, urged the NBC to take all necessary legal procedures to guarantee that the spectrum is not auctioned until all necessary safeguards are in place.
The organization noted that the frequency 700-800MHz, which houses certain state government-owned and commercial stations, was sold to telecom carriers, causing complications that have yet to be resolved. It was highlighted that the digital switchover, on which NCC may be capitalizing, had not occurred as predicted.
BON stated that it is aware of NBC’s many years of attempts to achieve an analog switch-off, but the intended result is still distant from the outstanding achievement.
According to the BON official, the sale of the spectrum by the NCC will result in the sudden disappearance of the bulk of television stations in Nigeria.
