Digital switchover: Questions NBC must answer

The National Broadcasting Commission NBC, the agency of government saddled with the responsibility to midwife the migration from analogue to digital transmission has come out officially to say that Nigeria cannot  meet the June 17 2015 digital switchover and that it may take additional 18 months before we MAY achieve the switchover.It is quite unfortunate […]

The National Broadcasting Commission NBC, the agency of government saddled with the responsibility to midwife the migration from analogue to digital transmission has come out officially to say that Nigeria cannot  meet the June 17 2015 digital switchover and that it may take additional 18 months before we MAY achieve the switchover.
It is quite unfortunate that Nigeria with all her human and material resources and with time on her side failed woefully in this international assignment. I t would be recalled that the process for digital switchover in Nigeria started as far back as 2006 when the ITU set the June 17, 2015 date.  In fact Nigeria set for herself an ambitious date of June 17, 2012, a clear three years before the ITU deadline. When it became obvious that the June 2012 date can not be met , it was extended to December 31, 2014, again the date failed and there comes the June 17, 2015 ITU deadline. Like the previous dates, the NBC failed us again.
The NBC under the leadership of Mr. Emeka Mba has blamed the inability to meet the ITU deadline on political development in the country. This blame game by the NBC, rather than exonerate them, raises special and relevant questions on the role of the regulatory body in the digital switchover failure.
A careful analysis of the preparation and role of NBC in this all important exercise suggest that it is either the NBC is out deliberately to sabotage the effort at migration or those at the helms of affairs do not have the basic skill, knowledge or experience to drive the process to a logical conclusion.
The NBC in an advertorial in the Daily Trust of Friday June 19, 2015, two days after the deadline laboured in vain to justify why Nigeria failed to switchover. In the advertorial, they listed what the Commission has done in 10 years to ensure that Nigeria joins the committee of nations that have switched to digital broadcasting.
A cursory look at the list in the advertorial also raises so many questions. Has the NBC sincerely followed the letters and sprit of the Government White Paper on Transition from Analogue to Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting? If so why are there so much disagreement and discontent among stakeholders? If not why would the NBC act outside the white paper?
The White paper according to the NBC advertorial stated that the Broadcasting functions will be split between Content Providers and Signal distributors. The NBC claimed to have licensed two Signal Distributors but failed to tell us the level of infrastructure deployment by these distributors. Who are the licensed Content Providers? Were they selected through an open, transparent, and competitive bidding process? If not, why?
Is it also true that in clear violation of the Government White Paper, the NBC has licensed some companies as Signal Distributor and Content Provider at the same time? The general public would also want to know the role of Content Aggregator in the architecture of Digital Migration. Is it a creation of the White Paper or that of the NBC? How are they selected?  How free are the Freeview channels in view of the fact that Nigerians are required to pay Digital Access Fees.
The NBC also claimed to have selected 11 successful companies to manufacture Set-Top boxes in Nigeria. As at the deadline date none of these selected companies has started manufacturing. It is also doubtful if there has been any formal meeting between the Signal Distributors and the Set-Top Box manufacturers. No wonder NBC is asking for additional eighteen months.
As for funding for successful implementation of the switchover, the Government White Paper clearly stated the need for Alternative Funding Models for accomplishing the migration that places minimum financial obligation on government. From the above, the NBC’s claim that government did not provide fund for digitization clearly showed that it is either the Commission did not comprehend the content of the white paper or the don’t know how to go about the Alternative Funding Model.
Another related but pertinent question to ask is how much has the NBC made in the course of licensing Signal Distributors, Content Aggregators, and Set-Top Box manufacturers among others. Where is this money? Or what has it been used for?
The regulatory body as t June 17, 2015, the deadline date for digital migration has no legislation in place to ensure effective implementation of the transition project. Three years after the Government White Paper, we are still awaiting an enabling act to back digitization. No wonder some stakeholders said the NBC is the one frustrating the switchover.
The success of the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting would be determined by the Nigerian consumers. The White Paper recognized this fact and commends the regulator to embark on continuous sensitization of the general public on the digital switchover, but the NBC failed woefully on this. Nigerians are in the dark about digital migration and what it entails. Only a very few stakeholders in the broadcast business knows what is going on.
It is unfortunate that a change of this magnitude is taking place and the NBC did not deem it fit to sensitize Nigerians. More than 85% of Nigerians are unaware of the development. Sensitization by NBC is almost non-existences. One wonders how the NBC hopes to achieve success. Most Television and Radio sets used in Nigeria are not digital compliant, yet more and more analogue Radio  and Television sets are being imported into the country and the Regulator is doing nothing to stop it or sensitize the people on the need to stop buying or selling analogue Radios and Televisions.
The role of NBC in the digital switchover failure leaves much to be desired. It is doubtful if the present leadership of the regulatory body can transparently and successfully drive the process. It is therefore imperative for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to look at the circumstances surrounding the award of the different licenses to different companies. PMB will also need to set up a commission of inquiry to find out what was really responsible for the failure of Nigeria to switchover.
Ayo Yusuf, a lawyer and media consultant, writes from Abuja.