DSTV Price Hike: Reps Threaten To Sanction NBC

The House of Representatives Adhoc Committee investigating non-implementation of Pay As You Go Tariff by DSTV and others, has threatened to sanctioned the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, if it fails to order DSTV to reverse its June 1, 2020, tariff hike.

The directive was handed down by the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Unyime Idem, when the Information Minister Alhaji Lai Muhammed and director General of National Broadcasting Commission, Prof. Amstrong Idachaba, appeared before the Committee.

Rep. Idem said, “We agreed as a Committee that if they (Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and National Broadcasting Commission), fail to give DSTV directive to reverse the June 1, 2020 tariff increase, we are going to sanction NBC, the regulatory body in charge of cable television services in Nigeria. We also asked the Minister and NBC to ensure that the sector is opened up for larger participation. We are not happy the way the sub sector of the industry is under-utilized. That sub sector has a lot of potential in terms of employment, in terms of creativity. I think after agriculture, it should be broadcasting. The manner they are running that particular sector is not so encouraging. We also mandated the Minister to ensure that the Monopoly rocking that particular sector is broken”.

Responding, the Minister and the NBC Director General agreed to direct DSTV to reverse the price hike. They also promised to immediately commence process of implementing PAYG Tariff and break the monopoly currently rocking the industry as directed by the Chairman of the Committee.