Lawmaker files bill for cheaper, faster internet in PH
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman and Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Sarte Salceda filed a new bill to help accelerate Internet speeds and lower subscription costs in the country.
Under House Bill (HB) No. 661 or the Faster Internet Act, internet service providers (ISPs) must advertise only speeds they can deliver 80% of the time. Provisions are also stated for measuring and publishing Internet quality service.
The bill also gives authority to the President to streamline regulatory processes and give permit or clearance suspension for any bill violators.
Salceda also clearly articulated the rights of end users, penalties for failure to deliver minimum standards, and faster application approval for telecommunication infrastructure in the bill.
Moreover, the House Representative is asking for a provision staying that “No court, except the Supreme Court, shall issue any temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction or preliminary mandatory injunction against the construction of telecommunications infrastructure, including cell sites and cell towers.”
Salceda highlighted that “Internet access is the new land reform of this country. Without Internet access, your efforts to grow as an economy are hamstrung, and your rural communities are unable to participate in the fruits of the digital, global age.”
“And, with BPOs and online freelancers being the lifeblood of many local economies, as well as the lifeline of many families, faster and cheaper Internet is an existential matter for the Philippine economy.”
