Internet wiring provisions may join the list of essential infrastructure like water and electricity required in all building plans, if a proposed law which is currently in the public consultation stage is included in the Infrastructure Protection Bill.
The Bill was made by the ministries of Information, Transport and Energy. ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i says the Bill is aimed at integrating policies in the three sectors.
He added that the government loses between Sh1.5 billion and Sh2 billion every year from damages on power transmission lines, transformers, and fiber optic cable cuts- a problem which the Bill seeks to solve.
At the moment, internet cabling and other telecommunication infrastructure is not compulsory for the approval of building plans. This, according to telecommunication operators gives property owners and agents leeway to take advantage, with some demanding between Sh21, 000 to Sh300, 000 per month to give service providers access to their buildings and mount telecommunication equipment.
The bill is set to be ready before July this year
