Imported User:
The Senate Committee on Information and Media has asked for detailed clarification on the proposed merger of the National Broadcasting Commission(NBC) and the Nigerian Communication Commission(NCC).
While on an oversight visit to the NBC, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said, "the merger talks had been a source of concern for the committee, and would need proper briefing on the subject matter".
However, the committee promised to give legislative support to the National Broadcasting Commission to fast track the quick transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in the country.
Although there is nothing in the present laws of the commission which mandates broadcast stations to do digital broadcast, the Senate Committee on Information and Media has proposed a possible amendment to serve as catalyst to the transformation.
Responding to the queries raised by the committee, Director General of NBC, Mr. Yomi Bolarinwa, told members of the committee that his commission had been advised on the proposal by the Federal Government.
He said several committees were set up to consider the proposal following the need to cut down the cost of governance.
Bolarinwa noted that the arguments for the merger was informed by the convergence of technology, given that new technologies were moving towards combining data, audio and visual.
He however noted that the functions of the NCC and NBC were different and served different purposes.
