Lack for funding hobbles digital switch over

The implementation of the Digital Switch Over (DSO) from analogue television broadcasts in the country has been hobbled by the non-release of funding by the federal government to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

This is despite the many advantages of the Digital Switch Over including increased revenue generation to the federal government as well as allowing the consumer to choose from multiple methods of receiving television signals at multiple resolutions through a variety of media.

According to Mr. Salihu Bamidele, leader of NBC team, while inspecting facilities at Gospell Digital Technology (GDT) factory at Calabar Free Trade Zone in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, lack of funding has slowed down the DSO.

“We have done six states and there are more to it. There are some funds to pay some people who have worked before they can do more into it. There are other administrative paper works to be done which we are battling with.

“But as soon as we are able to sort that out as a regulator, it does not take anything for us to release the timetable because we know that by now, we are far behind. I appeal to the operators to work together as a team. Satellite providers have to come together and let us have one voice. They have all to be on the same page and that is part of the delay. The differences we have are administrative differences.”

On when the DSO will take off fully with all the television stations in the country, he further said: “We cannot give any assurance because it involves funds and the NBC does not have the funds and that is why we are appealing to the Federal Government to yield to NBC’s demand so that they can get this thing done. We do not have the money. The money is in billions.

“The white paper is the guideline that guides the operations of the DSO. So, we are trying to make sure that the Act establishing the NBC is reviewed so as to give it a legislative backing. Now, what we have is just the white paper, which is the guideline we are working with. So, you can see all kinds of bottlenecks here and there. But if we are on the same page with the press and everybody, we can get this thing done easily. We don’t have legislation”.

The leader of the NBC team had declined to disclose the total figure they needed for full take off but Sir Godfrey Ohuabunwa, group managing director of GDT, put the total figure NBC needs at N45 billion and only N15 billion had been approved but not released yet.

Ohuabunwa charged the Federal Government to expedite action in the release of funds to management of NBC for take off of DSO and the release of a specific time-table that will unveil the commission’s plan regarding switch over from analog to digital broadcasting.

He warned that if the Federal Government and the NBC continue to delay the full take off of the DSO, his company alone risks the chance of “losing a total amount of $50 million given the amount of efforts invested in the project” so far.