Following renewed plan by the Lagos State Government to regulate the installation and control of telecoms masts in the state, the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has said its members will vehemently resist any form of telecoms regulation in the state.

Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, who spoke to journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, said ALTON would not hesitate to seek another redress in court, like it did six years ago, should Lagos Government go ahead to implement the plan.

Shortly after the Lagos wind storm last month, that pulled down several masts in the state, killing two persons and destroying property worth billions of naira, the Lagos State Government, through its Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit (UFRU), said it would renew its plan to regulate telecoms masts in the state.

Lagos government, which had hitherto obeyed a Lagos High Court ruling in favour of telecoms operators in 2006, asking the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), and other agencies in the state to stop the regulation of masts, has suddenly decided to resume mast regulation, through a statutory body, the Ministry of Physical Planning.

Head, Urban Furniture Regulatory Unit (UFRU), Mr. Joe Igbokwe, told THISDAY that UFRU, which is a new unit under the Ministry of Physical Planning, had been saddled with the responsibility of regulating masts in the state, and that the unit was set to begin mast regulation, following incessant deaths recorded from collapsed masts in the state, especially that of last month’s disaster, where two persons were confirmed dead from collapsed masts in Lagos.

According to Igbokwe, “As a result of the damages, which led to loss of property worth billions of naira, the Commissioner of Physical Planning, Olutoyin Ayinde has henceforth taken over the regulation of the location, positioning, dimensioning, appearance, display and manner in which urban furniture, masts inclusive, shall be affixed to land in the state.”

He explained that all telecoms operators, ISPs, banks, television stations, radio stations, among other masts users, were expected to present a report on the integrity of their structures, seek permit for all the existing structures and the ones yet to be built in the metropolis, adding that the commissioner will soon give further clarifications and directives on the matter.

Responding to the planned masts regulation, Adebayo said: “If the objective of the new agency, UFRU, is same as the old LASIMRA objective, then we will have to go to court again to re-challenge the law.”

“We have nothing against the Lagos State government in trying to regulate environmental issues in the state, including furniture regulation, but what ALTON is against is to enact laws that will retard the wheel of progress of the telecoms sector. We are against rules and regulations that will debar telecoms operators’ network deployment and operations. We are yet to be informed of the renewed plan, but if it is true, then we may need to seek redress in court,” Adebayo said in anger.

He added that the Lagos State government was getting it wrong, because not every mast and tower in Lagos belongs to telecoms operators.

“Some telecoms masts are owned by television stations, radio stations, Internet Service Providers ( ISPs), private sector companies deploying point-to-point radio communications systems, among others, and besides, no telecoms operator will install substandard masts because it is the foundation of their business. It cost a lot to build telecoms masts, and no telecoms operator will build substandard mast that will collapse easily, except for natural disaster like the wind storm that happened in Lagos last month.

LagosStateshould do an audit to know who owns masts that are posing dangers to health in the state, at it will be shocked at the result it will get,” Adebayo said.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/we-ll-resist-telecoms-regulation-alton-tells-lagos-govt/110938/