Members of the House of
Representatives on Tuesday have decided to fight against the near monopoly of Multichoice
and its “rigid” DSTV subscription policy that permanently bills subscribers
“whether they are at home viewing programmes or not.”
NairaBrains reports that the House
observed that high pricing by Dstv had made access to its “premium” programming
difficult for the majority of Nigerians.
It also noted that lack of
competition in the digital satellite broadcast industry had encouraged a
monopoly giving firms such as Multichoice the “undue advantage” of blocking the
efforts of other firms to enter the market and crash prices.
Lawmakers particularly opposed a
“rigid” subscription policy that permanently billed subscribers “whether they
are at home viewing programmes or not.”
A bill to stop such stranglehold
on the industry passed second reading at the House on Tuesday.
The bill, which was sponsored by
a member from Adamawa State, Mrs. Aisha Dahiru-Modibbo, sought to amend the
National Broadcasting Commission Act to guarantee openness and competition in
the industry.
The long title of the bill reads,
“A Bill for an Act to Amend the National Broadcasting Commission Act to Provide
for Competition in Nigeria, to Promote Efficiency and Expand Opportunities for
Participation of Nigerians in World Markets, while at the same time recognising
the Role of Foreign Competition in Nigeria and for other Matters Related
thereto.”
Leading the debate on the bill,
Dahiru-Modibbo said while Nigeria was not against foreign participation in the
local economy but such involvement should not be to the detriment of Nigerians. She noted that there were
indigenous firms which could also render premium satellite broadcast
programming to Nigerians, but complained that “deliberate actions” by
monopolies stifled the firms.
“In every country, measures are taken
to protect the people.
“What is happening to us in
Nigeria does not happen elsewhere on the continent.
“It is high time our regulatory
body, the NBC was positioned to protect Nigerians from this arbitrary actions,”
she stated.
The House Deputy Leader, Mr. Leo
Ogor, wondered why Nigeria, one of the countries with the largest subscriber
base of Dstv services, hardly received the kind of “subscriber-friendly offers”
that were offered to the citizens of other African countries.
“You have a situation in the
telecommunications industry, for example, where you are billed as you go or use
your mobile phones.
“You pay for what you use. We
should be having pay as you view or watch as well.
“Why should Nigerians continue to
pay for Dstv services whether they are at home using the service or not?” Ogor
asked.
He cited Kenya as one of the countries that
had taken measures to contain the excesses of Dstv and other foreign digital
satellite TV service providers.
Seasoned broadcaster and
Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, lent
her voice to the debate, supporting a call for more subscriber-friendly pricing
in Nigeria.
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