We’ve missed 2 deadlines on DSO, can’t afford to miss this year, NBC tells stakeholders
The Director General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu has assured Nigerians and Digital Switch Over (DSO) stakeholders the even though Nigeria has two deadlines in transiting from analogue to digital terrestrial TV transmission, the country cannot afford to miss it again come June this year.
In his welcome address during a Broadcast Stakeholders’ meeting held at Ladi Kwali, Sheraton Hotels, Abuja Wednesday, Kawu said “There is indeed a lot of excitement about the process as well as apprehension, about the completion of the national switchover within the stipulated time”.
“We missed two deadlines to complete the switchover in 2012 and 2015, but we have the assurances of President Muhammadu Buhari and his government, to ensure that we complete the switchover this time around.
“On our parts at the NBC, I want to assure that we are also totally committed to midwifing the process; even when we recognize that it is a major financial; technical and logistics challenge for all of us in the Commission; in the industry and for all Nigerians!
Continuing, he said “The most important issue that we have resolutely faced since I assumed office is the Digital Switchover (DSO). I am sure that you are all aware that in April 2016 we commenced the pilot phase of the switchover in Jos, Plateau state”.
“Eight months later, on December 22nd, 2016, we began the real Switchover here in Abuja. The Abuja phase will be the beginning of Analogue Switch Off (ASO) in our country. It is indicative of the general interest that DSO has generated in Nigeria, that last Thursday, the House of Representatives held a Public Hearing on the process, while the Senate also followed suit just yesterday.
The NBC boss recalled that the successes that we have recorded so far, have been as a result of the collective effort of all of us, saying “Signal Distributors; Set Top Manufacturers; the various channels owners; our partners in CCNL; Inview Technology; call centre operators; Digiteam; and the NBC have all done well”.
“Going forwards, we must continue to work together to deliver a complete DSO/ASO in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. What is unique about the process in our country, is that this is a process that is driven by Nigerians for Nigerians; and this is why our experience has become highly recognized all over the African continent.
Kawu however pointed out salient issues arising from the experience we have gathered in the past one year of DSO which the NBC is making the effort to resolve.
“These include the pertinent issue of cost of carriage of the content of broadcasters by our two signal distributors. We are in the process of collating submissions in order to arrive at the appropriate levels of tariffs and fees that would be reasonable as well economical on all sides. “This issue is very critical, because at the moment, the Federal Government is bearing the transmission cost during this transitional phase; and these are very huge costs indeed! We are also carrying out the streamlining of functions of key players in the DSO process, with the intention of removing conflicting roles and duties as well as harmonizing the positions to achieve very seamless work. We will soon come out with Key Performance Indicators (KPI), which should address areas of interface as well as service delivery.
