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Thursday November 21, 2024

Stakeholder Consultation for Establishment of an Internet Industry Code of Practice

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) hereby invites all affected and interested parties as well as the general public to a Stakeholder Consultation on the;

Establishment of an Internet Industry Code of Practice.

Overview

As part of its Internet Governance functions, the Nigerian Communications Commission seeks input from stakeholders in the development of a code of practice in support of an open internet. The Commission favours a multi-stakeholder model of engagement in the process of policy development for Internet Governance. The proposed Code of Practice seeks, among other things, to;

  1. Protect the rights and interests of Internet Service Providers and consumers;
  2. Provide jointly agreed and effective solutions to the issues of discriminatory traffic management practices;
  3. Ensure adequate safeguards are put in place by service providers against abuses such as unsolicited messages;
  4. Outline the obligations of Service Providers in relation to offensive and potentially harmful content for minors and vulnerable audiences;
  5. Promote the safe, secure and responsible use of Internet Services with due regard to provisions in existing legal instruments;
  6. Establish best practices for Internet Governance in Nigeria, in line with emerging issues and global trends;
  7. Provide transparent rules for the assessment and classification of Internet content;
  8. Increase stakeholder satisfaction through improved consumer experience online;

Extensive consultation of stakeholders is crucial to the success of this exercise. Key stakeholders identified include:

  • All Internet Service Providers in Nigeria
  • Relevant Associations (ISPAN, CPN, ATCON, ALTON, GSMA, Nigerian Computer Society, Nigerian Internet Governance Forum, etc.)
  • Government Ministries, Agencies, and Departments (NCC, NITDA, NBC, CBN, Ministry of Communication Technology, etc.)
  • Security Agencies (Police, EFCC, ICPC, NSA, etc.)
  • Interested Multinationals (Facebook, Microsoft, Oracle, etc.)
  • Academia
  • The General Public

Stakeholders are expected to submit their input (comments, concerns, feedback, and suggestions for scope and content) via the comment form provided on this page. Input submitted via this facility will be taken into consideration in finalizing the Internet Industry Code of Practice document.

The Nigerian Communications Commission hereby publishes, the pdf Draft Internet Code of Practice (338 KB) for comments and inputs from key stakeholders.