BON Rejects NCC’s Planned Sale of 600MHz Spectrum

*Says it threatens 80% of Nigeria’s TV viewers

Festus Akanbi

The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) has kicked against the planned sale of the broadcast frequency in the 600MHz spectrum band by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), saying such action will not only threaten over 80 per cent of television viewers nationwide but will also make Nigeria’s broadcast space vulnerable to unhindered penetration by foreign media organs.

The Nigerian telecoms sector regulator, the NCC, had last month announced the plan to sell the frequency slots in the 600 MHz spectrum band through “Administrative Assignment (without an auction), a development which the Executive Secretary of BON, Dr. Yemisi Bamgbose, said would threaten the operations of a substantial number of broadcast organisations in the country.

A report by Technology Times published at the weekend quoted Bamgbose as saying that the controversial spectrum is exclusively allocated to broadcasting in the country, hence the fear that its sale at this point will jeopardise the chances of television viewers.
The Executive Secretary of BON, which rejected the planned sale of the 600MHz spectrum band by NCC, said it was exclusively allocated to broadcasting in the country.

BON’s rejection was said to have been conveyed in a letter to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC’s) Director-General, calling for urgent steps to be taken to stop the planned sale of the broadcast spectrum by NCC.
The publication quoted the BON’s Executive Secretary, who warned that the NCC’s planned sale of the band before the analogue switch-off, would result in the denial of access to TV broadcasting of over 80 per cent of Nigerians that depend on the electronic broadcast medium nationwide for information and public enlightenment.

In the letter, titled “An Urgent Call to NBC to Save Television Broadcasting from Extermination” and dated April 25, 2023, the BON said, “Our attention has been drawn to an advertisement placed by the NCC, titled ‘Availability of Frequency Slots in the 600 MHz Spectrum Band’, published on March 23, 2023.
“The NCC brought notice to the general public on the availability of frequency slots in the 600MHz spectrum band for sale. The advertisement further stated that submission of interest closes on or before the close of business on April 28, 2023.”

Consequently, the BON called on NBC to take the required legal steps to prevent the sale of the spectrum band until after the completion of the Digital Switchover as stipulated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and as stated in the Federal Government White Paper on digitisation.
NBC’s letter further warned that if this sale of the primary spectrum allocated to broadcasting is allowed to happen, all television stations operating on frequency 600MHz will be affected negatively.

“Those that will be affected include all DTT operators; ITS; Pinnacle; many private television stations; the majority of state government-owned stations; some NTA community and state stations operating within the range of 600MHz frequency.
“The Director General will recall that the frequency 700-800MHz, housing some state government-owned and private stations, has been sold to telecom operators, a decision that has created problems that have not been resolved.”
BON said that if the telecoms regulator, NCC, is allowed to proceed with the proposed sale of the spectrum, the development will leave Nigeria’s broadcast space to “unhindered penetration by foreign media organs,” the negative consequences of which Bamgbose said, “will be significant.”