NCA Proposes Tough Penalties for Fibre Cable Cuts
The National Communications Authority (NCA) has proposed new legislation to impose stiffer penalties on individuals who damage fibre optic cables and other critical communication infrastructure.
Acting Director-General of the NCA, Rev. Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko, made the call during a recent industry forum, stressing the severe impact of such damage on national connectivity and economic activity.
“We are recommending that anyone who damages a fibre cable should be fined three times the cost of repair,” he said. “This is intended to make people extra careful when they are working around areas where we have these fibre cables and other communication infrastructure laid.”
The NCA has submitted several recommendations to the Minister for Communications, including a review of the NCA Act and the Electronic Communications Act, both of which have remained unchanged for over seventeen years.
“These laws need to be brought in line with the fast-paced changes in the communications industry,” Rev. Fianko stated. “One of our proposals is an amendment to Section 77 of Act 775 to introduce administrative fines for people who recklessly damage infrastructure.”
He added that in cases where the fines are not paid, criminal prosecution should follow. “We recommend that offenders who fail to pay the fine be prosecuted. Upon conviction, they should face a penalty of not less than 10,000 penalty units, or five years’ imprisonment, or both.”
Rev. Fianko stressed that unless strong deterrents are enforced, fibre cuts will continue to occur with little consequence. “We think that until people get punished for these things, nobody will be deterred,” he said.
According to him, the consequences of cable cuts go beyond financial losses. “Every time a cable is cut, it has an impact on service quality. Sometimes entire regions experience disruption in voice and data services,” he explained. “Even though we build redundancies into the network, double and triple cable cuts can still have a very significant impact.” The NCA maintains that stricter laws and consistent enforcement are necessary to safeguard Ghana’s communications infrastructure and maintain reliable service delivery nationwide.
