TV Licence Fees An Outdated Concept

THE missing millions in the Avid-SSC saga have been dominating the news to the extent that the issue pertaining to TV licences had to be put on hold.

Crying out loudly after the public money is wasted is not the right thing for this nation to do. Special precautions must be taken when private companies or individuals deal with public finances and we need to be vigilant before our money is wasted.I am specifically concerned about the TV licence fee and would like the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or any other relevant authorities to give satisfactory official explanation to help the public understand the need for TV licence fees; how the fee is determined and who should collect it, among other things.They need to get the co-operation of the masses of this country, who help in the fight against corruption too.So far we have been threatened with losing our furniture and ending up in jail if we fail to pay the TV licence fee and nobody has tried to rationalise and convince the public of the need for this.I understand the need for vehicle, firearm, taxi licences and others but not the need for a TV licence.In other countries you don’t need a licence to watch TV.It is the broadcasters that need to be licensed and pay licence fees.Forcing the public to pay TV licence fees is an insult to their intelligence and a sign of backwardness.We are living in an era where you can watch TV on your personal computer or buy a car that has a TV set fixed in it.There are also portable TV sets you can take with wherever you go.Technology keeps on growing.We have reached a point in time where the price of TVs is almost cheaper than the license fee! In some houses people have TV sets in their bedrooms and kitchens.In case Penduka-NBC didn’t notice, TV sets are mounted in numbers in hotel rooms, banks, malls, public places etc.Many, if not all of us, are still confused as to why we are asked to pay a licence fee for TV and not for radio, computer or cellphones.The relationship between the Social Security Commission (SSC) and Avid has made me enquire about the relationship between the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and the private company calling itself Penduka-NBC.I don’t understand how a private company managed to be called Penduka-NBC and got the trust of the national broadcaster, NBC, to increase and collect TV licence fees.How transparent was the appointment of such a company? As far as is known, Penduka-NBC doesn’t have the infrastructure to carry out this responsibility throughout Namibia.It’s rather dependent on Nampost to collect the TV licence fees.If the deal was done between Nampost and NBC or with local banks, which Act stipulates the collection of TV licence fees through a profit-making private company like Penduka-NBC? How can the people of Namibia trust Penduka-NBC after Avid and SSC? I would like to suggest that this issue is clarified to the people of Namibia through all media.Peter SwakopmundSpecial precautions must be taken when private companies or individuals deal with public finances and we need to be vigilant before our money is wasted.I am specifically concerned about the TV licence fee and would like the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or any other relevant authorities to give satisfactory official explanation to help the public understand the need for TV licence fees; how the fee is determined and who should collect it, among other things.They need to get the co-operation of the masses of this country, who help in the fight against corruption too.So far we have been threatened with losing our furniture and ending up in jail if we fail to pay the TV licence fee and nobody has tried to rationalise and convince the public of the need for this.I understand the need for vehicle, firearm, taxi licences and others but not the need for a TV licence.In other countries you don’t need a licence to watch TV.It is the broadcasters that need to be licensed and pay licence fees.Forcing the public to pay TV licence fees is an insult to their intelligence and a sign of backwardness.We are living in an era where you can watch TV on your personal computer or buy a car that has a TV set fixed in it.There are also portable TV sets you can take with wherever you go.Technology keeps on growing.We have reached a point in time where the price of TVs is almost cheaper than the license fee! In some houses people have TV sets in their bedrooms and kitchens.In case Penduka-NBC didn’t notice, TV sets are mounted in numbers in hotel rooms, banks, malls, public places etc.Many, if not all of us, are still confused as to why we are asked to pay a licence fee for TV and not for radio, computer or cellphones.The relationship between the Social Security Commission (SSC) and Avid has made me enquire about the relationship between the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and the private company calling itself Penduka-NBC.I don’t understand how a private company managed to be called Penduka-NBC and got the trust of the national broadcaster, NBC, to increase and collect TV licence fees.How transparent was the appointment of such a company? As far as is known, Penduka-NBC doesn’t have the infrastructure to carry out this responsibility throughout Namibia.It’s rather dependent on Nampost to collect the TV licence fees.If the deal was done between Nampost and NBC or with local banks, which Act stipulates the collection of TV licence fees through a profit-making private company like Penduka-NBC? How can the people of Namibia trust Penduka-NBC after Avid and SSC? I would like to suggest that this issue is clarified to the people of Namibia through all media.Peter Swakopmund