The Federal Government is seeking power to license and regulate private broadcasting in the country using the internet and other online outlet.
Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the submission at a public hearing on a bill to amend the National Broadcasting Act organised by the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values.
He argued that the National Assembly should amend the NBC law to grant it powers to license internet broadcast and all online media broadcast in the country.
But media practitioners and media based groups including the Institute for Media and Society and the International Press Centre said the inclusion of internet broadcast and online media to the category of broadcast services to be licensed will be injurious to the civic space, freedom of expression and media freedom.
