‘Outdated policy’ hindering improvement of PH internet – experts

There’s an urgent need for policy and regulatory reform in the Philippines’ broadband sector to accommodate its digital transition during the ongoing pandemic, experts agreed in a forum hosted by the COVID-19 Action Network (CAN) on Wednesday, August 5.

CAN is a network of civil society organizations, individuals, and stakeholders from the government and the private sector working to fight the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

They emphasized that internet connectivity is an “indispensable tool” in the country’s response to the virus and its move to the so-called “new normal,” where life is forced to move online.

For many places, including much of the countryside, however, internet connection is either poor or entirely absent.

According to their data, over 40% of Filipinos, 52% of public schools, and 57% of households nationwide still don’t use the internet.

They attribute this problem to the lack of competition among service providers in the country, which is said to be caused by high barriers to entry in the market.

One of the arguably biggest barriers for players is the franchise system, said Wilson Chua of Project Bass, a non-profit app that monitors the performance of telecommunications companies.

For these players to operate and conduct business in the country, they must first secure a congressional franchise. Chua thinks removing this requirement can lower the cost and speed-up the deployment of broadband networks in places that need them, resulting in a surge of investments.

Having more players in the market also brings more infrastructure, helping meet the growing demand by different sectors for fast, stable, and affordable internet connection.

To lower the barriers to entry, CAN is proposing for several policy and regulatory reforms.

One such reform is adopting an open access network, which allows different players to enter different segments in the market to compete and interconnect with each other.

An Open Access bill has already been drafted, urging the government to use this framework to aid in rolling-out broadband networks across the country. However, there’s no movement as of yet.

Another proposal is the signing of a new executive order that grants internet service providers access to satellites and allow them to build networks using that technology to serve areas that do not yet have internet connection.

The group also recommends a passive infrastructure sharing policy that lets network providers coordinate with different departments of government in the installation of fiber optic cables, cellular towers, and other infrastructures.

Lastly, they advise the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) to review the licensing and permitting requirements of local government units (LGUs) and national government agencies (NGAs) on deployment of internet facilities. These requirements are sometimes the cause of unnecessary delay.

They added local governments should only prioritize safety-related requirements, such as height clearance, for instance.

CAN claims that now, more than ever, is an appropriate time for the Philippine government to update its “outdated policies” and accelerate the improvement of the country’s internet, rather than hinder it during this unprecedented time. – Rappler.com