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Sa wakas after years of suffering, magkakaroon na din sa diskusyon about sa internet sa pinas. Susme. #InternetPH
— Lloyd (@Makoyuttt) August 18, 2015There were also tweets about senators not attending the hearing.
i am quite puzzled why our honorable senators did not attend this #internetph hearing. no grandstanding No epal
— Pilosopong Pinoy (@Pinoykritiko) August 18, 2015
Ironic
Some found it ironic that they could not watch the proceedings because the page was not loading.
youtube not loading. need i say more?
#internetPH
@rapplerdotcom</a> Funny, coz I was trying to watch the live stream of this hearing but couldn’t due to slow internet connection.
Netizens stressed that they are not getting the best service for their payments, citing the high cost for slow Internet and poor customer service.
Very poor. I pay P1,799 for a sporadic mobile connection. Mostly sluggish, poor customer service. @talk2GLOBE https://t.co/yei7nyNZpj
I guess the internet service providers are just hijacking the customers . If other countries can, why cant we? #internetph
These views echo Aquino’s who said in an interview, “So far, kung makikita po natin, we’re one of the most expensive, we’re one of the slowest and iyong access po natin, mga 50 to 60% lang ng ating kababayan (So far, as we can see, we’re one of the most expensive, we’re one of the slowest and our access [only reaches] only around 50 to 60 percent of our countrymen).“
Aquino also noted that “about 90% of Internet users in the Philippines are in [sic] mobile, while only 10% use fixed-line services.”
Telcos earlier explained that the issue is complicated, citing problems like replacing old copper cables, dealing with redundant international fiber optic connections that can go beyond their control, confronting geographical issues, and raising huge capital while being competitive with pricing. (READ: New Internet speed minimum throwback to ’90s?)
Meanwhile, after setting the minimum speed for services marketed as “fixed-line broadband,” the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said it is targeting to issue draft rules covering “mobile broadband” on Monday, August 24. (READ: NTC eyes new rules on minimum speed for mobile broadband)
Change is welcome
During the hearing, the Twitter discussion also generated suggestions that netizens saw would help address the situation.
The govt should impose a standard regulation that examines the cost and speed of ISP providers. #InternetPH https://t.co/Bj6Qme8In1
— michael angelo (@mykeeabelo) August 18, 2015
#InternetPH let other ISPs enter the battlefield. Let not the political will be thy will!
— Velle (@altervelle) August 18, 2015
solutions for #PHInternet? Make sure NTC has teeth so PLDT/Globe/Smart are forced to maintain the speeds they advertised
— Ynvel (@Ynvel) August 18, 2015The next step, according to Aquino, would be to focus on how government could intervene to solve this problem. ‘
“Ngayon po ay budget season, maganda na pag-usapan rin po kung magkano ba ng investment dapat ng gobyerno pagdating sa pag-resolve sa isyung ito (It’s now budget season, it would be good to talk about how much the government should invest to resolve this issue),” Aquino said.
What else do you think are the Philippines’ problems regarding the Internet? What solutions do you want to see? Tell us in the comments section below. – Rappler.com
Bea Orante is a Rappler Intern.
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