Congress allocates P7.5B for Free Wi-Fi program expansion

Congress has significantly increased funding for the Free Wi-Fi for All Program to P7.5 billion, tripling the previous year’s budget allocation of P2.5 billion. The initiative aims to expand the number of public Wi-Fi hotspots across the country to 50,000, providing Filipinos with password-free internet access, Makati City Representative Luis Campos Jr. announced on Tuesday.

“In the 2025 General Appropriations Law, we earmarked P7.5 billion for the Free Wi-Fi for All Program. This amount is three times the P2.5-billion allocation for the program in 2024,” said Campos, vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations.

“We are counting on the expansion of free Wi-Fi hotspots to improve public access to online learning and distance education, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” Campos added.

The expanded network of hotspots is also expected to empower rural communities by facilitating access to online resources such as government training programs.

Call for improved mobile internet speeds

As Congress invests in expanded internet access, Campos, who is married to Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, also renewed his call for faster mobile internet speeds, urging lawmakers to pass legislation that would compel private telecommunications companies to improve their services.

“We need faster mobile internet speeds to boost productivity. Slow internet speeds result in productivity loss,” Campos emphasized.

The Philippines’ average mobile internet speed remains below regional peers, according to the December 2024 Ookla Global Speedtest Index. With an average speed of 36.36 megabits per second (Mbps), the country lags behind neighbors such as Thailand (65.47 Mbps), Vietnam (86.96 Mbps), Malaysia (105.36 Mbps), and Singapore (129.13 Mbps).

Campos has been advocating for the passage of his House Bill No. 10215, which seeks to classify high-speed internet as a basic telecommunications service to which every Filipino has a right of access, rather than a value-added service.

The reclassification would empower the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to set rising minimum mobile internet speed targets that telcos must meet within prescribed deadlines.

Telcos failing to meet the minimum speed targets would face fines of up to P1 million per day, or P365 million per year, until they achieve compliance.