The House of Representatives has adopted the first steps toward providing free internet access in public locations for Nigerians, Cyber Reporters report.
This comes after a bill titled “An Act to Provide the Legal Framework for the Free Internet Access Program in Selected Public Places in Nigeria and for Other Related Matters,” sponsored by Mr. Abubakar Kusada, the representative of Kankia/Ingawa/Kusada Federal Constituency, Katsina State, was passed during its first reading last week.
Kusada, rallying support for the bill, stated that Nigeria recognizes the critical role of information and communications technology in nation-building and emphasized the policy to “promote an environment for the development of structures that would ensure the availability and accessibility to reliable and secure internet access.”
The new law is expected to cover public venues like federal, state, and local government offices, secondary and tertiary institutions, and public hospitals, as well as rural health centers.
Other venues mentioned include police, army, navy, and customs barracks, public parks, plazas, libraries and reading centers, public airports and seaports, and public transportation terminals.
The proposed law authorizes the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to establish guidelines and qualifications for choosing which public sites would be included and prioritized in the program’s implementation.
The bill also encourages collaboration to guarantee effective service delivery.
Section 6(1) states, “To promote an efficient and cost-effective delivery of free internet access in public places, NCC and NITDA may partner with the private sector in the implementation of the program.”
Furthermore, it states: “The excess capacity of private sector partners may be offered to deliver supplemental internet access service for a reasonable fee to the user in the areas where program facilities are located, provided that said individuals or entities register with the NCC as a value-added service provider.”
