The House of Representatives has taken initial steps to provide free internet services in selected public places including hospitals for Nigerians.
This follows the passage of a bill last week during its first reading titled, “An Act to provide the legal framework for the free internet access programme in selected public places in Nigeria and for other related matters,” sponsored by Abubakar Kusada, the representative of Kankia/Ingawa/Kusada Federal Constituency, Katsina State.
Rallying support for the bill, Kusada noted that Nigeria recognizes the vital 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 availability and accessibility to reliable and secure internet access.”
A copy of the bill obtained by newsmen shows that public places covered under the proposed law include federal, state, and local government offices, secondary and tertiary institutions, and public hospitals, including health centers in rural areas. Other locations listed include police, Army, Navy, and Customs barracks, public parks, plazas, libraries and reading centers, public airports and seaports, and public transport terminals.
Section 1 of the bill provides that “No fee shall be collected from users to connect on the public internet access points. The free internet service provided shall be separate from the internet service used for backend computer systems and programmes, databases, and/or management and information systems in government offices, provided that the shared use of infrastructure shall not be prohibited.”
It also stipulates that “Technical solutions that may limit or restrict access shall only be employed where there is a clear and present technical risk or breach that cannot be remedied through ordinary technical solutions, provided that technical solutions that can likewise maintain or promote ease of access shall be prioritized and pursued.”
The proposed law empowers the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency to set standards and qualifications for determining which public places shall be included and prioritized for the programme’s rollout.
