House of Reps to Probe Internet Service Providers Over Poor Services
The House of Representatives has tasked its Committee on Communications with probing the activities of private internet service providers (ISPs) in Nigeria. This decision came after Mr. Leke Abejide, representing Yagba East/Yagba West/Mopamuro Federal Constituency in Kogi State, presented a motion of urgent public importance during Thursday’s plenary session.
Mr. Abejide highlighted that numerous ISPs in Nigeria have managed to avoid accountability for their widespread inefficiencies and subpar service delivery. Consumers are often forced to pay for these inadequate services due to a lack of regulations overseeing pricing and service provision, allowing ISPs to exploit Nigerian consumers.
Abejide, a member of the African Democratic Congress, emphasized that frequent service outages, slow internet speeds, and inconsistent connectivity are daily challenges for consumers. He argued that in today’s digital age, a reliable internet connection is essential, not a luxury.
He expressed concern that some consumers experience service outages totaling more than two weeks per month from certain ISPs, without any mechanism for refunds, leading to a blatant disregard for consumer rights and exploitation.
Specifically, Abejide pointed out that Legend, an ISP operating in Abuja, charges a flat monthly prepaid rate despite frequent service interruptions. Legend offers various tariff plans, with the highest being around N483,000 per month, yet it rarely provides uninterrupted service for even half of the month. He accused Legend of intentionally delivering reliable service only shortly before monthly billing to mislead customers into renewing their subscriptions, only to revert to poor service thereafter. This, he stated, is an unethical business model that exploits consumers and necessitates regulatory accountability.
Abejide also criticized the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for failing to sanction ISPs for their poor services. He noted that these exploitative practices have severe consequences for Nigerian society, hindering progress and negatively affecting business and economic activities.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House directed its Committee on Communications to investigate the activities of ISPs and report back within two weeks. Additionally, the House urged the NCC and relevant agencies to create a consumer protection framework that includes automatic compensation or refunds for prolonged service outages or significant deviations from advertised service levels. The lawmakers also recommended that the NCC implement a Pay-As-You-Go policy for all ISPs to minimize exploitation for services
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