Regulating the telecommons: community networks, spectrum governance, and regulatory reform in Nigeria

The market liberalisation model governing telecommunications regulation since the 1980s has failed to deliver universal connectivity in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Community networks, which are telecommunications infrastructure deployed and governed by local communities as a shared resource, have emerged as a credible institutional alternative. Yet regulatory frameworks designed exclusively for commercial operators offer no viable pathway for community-based, non-commercial provision. This article examines this structural mismatch in Nigeria, where the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is reforming its regulatory instruments through a General Authorisation Framework, a Spectrum Roadmap for 2026–2030, and a review of the National Telecommunications Policy. Drawing on Elinor Ostrom’s institutional theory, a doctrinal analysis of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, and comparative study of Kenya, Mexico, and South Africa, the article argues that the NCC’s reforms replicate market-oriented assumptions and remain structurally inadequate for community networks. It advances design principles for a purpose-built pathway achievable without primary legislative amendment.