BY CHUKWUMA NNAM
Nigerians who subscribe to DSTV and Gotv will soon be paying for what they used and not necessarily pay monthly as the House of Representatives has considered the pay-per-view, pay-as-you-go and price reduction for DSTV and other cable satellite operators in the country.
This followed the adoption of the reports and recommendation of the Ad–hoc Committee on Non–Implementation of Pay–As–You–Go and sudden Increment of Tariffs plan by Broadcast Digital Satellite Service Providers.
The chairman of the Committee, Rep Unyime Idem, had earlier laid the report before the House and was considered by the House on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to them, the implementation would trigger healthy competition in the industry, adding that the entertainment industry had a wider spectrum with limitless opportunities for the teeming youths.
The House stated that the visible absence of competitors in the industry was tacit approval of monopoly of the industry by the present operators.
According to the recommendation, our extant laws that moderate operations in the industry is to be fine-tuned to meet the 21st- century regulatory laws of the industry that is dynamic as the entertainment industry.
The House noted that the commission that had the power to license and regulate the activities of service providers must also have the power to moderate in the protection of consumers.
According to the reports, price increase and reduction have always been contentious issues for producers and consumers in the business world.
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The House also listed the factors responsible for the hike in subscription fees as the recent increment of VAT by 2.5 per cent by the Financial Amendment Act of Jan. 13, 2020, the fluctuating foreign exchange rate in the country that affects the cost of content.
They identified the need of not throwing many young Nigerians, who are gainfully employed by pay-tv into the labour market were some necessary indices for the price hike.
The report noted that the use of Nigerian NigComSat or Nigerian Satellite that is still under-utilised was advocated by the committee.
