Telco group urges PBBM: Veto Konektadong Pinoy bill

The Philippine Association of Private Telecommunications Companies (PAPTELCO) is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to veto the "Konektadong Pinoy" bill, calling for a revised version to be passed in the 20th Congress.

This comes as the organization -- which represents independent telecom companies providing connectivity in remote provinces -- cited national security concerns and a lack of protection for small players.

"The current bill is flawed with national security issues as well as the lack of protection for small players like us that are already providing service to rural areas," said Atty. Normandy Baldovino Jr., president of PAPTELCO.

He added that a "new and better Konektadong Pinoy bill can be certified as urgent so we can still it enacted into law this year."

PAPTELCO previously raised concerns that the bill would allow any company to build cable landing stations and international gateway facilities in the Philippines without the legislative franchise and clearances currently required from Congress.

"There can be a win-win situation if we enhance the bill in the next Congress," Baldovino said. "We can still attract foreign investors and at the same time protect the small telco players and protect the Filipinos from national security threats."

Other industry bodies, such as the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO), have also voiced opposition to certain provisions in the bill, arguing they would be detrimental to both national security and Filipino consumers.

Their concerns include the removal of the Congressional franchise requirement for new telecommunications players, the reduction of the National Telecommunications Commission's (NTC) regulatory duties to merely administrative tasks without proof of operational capability, a lack of vetting for new players, and the absence of a requirement for new telecommunication companies to be cybersecurity-ready before operating.

Baldovino stressed that the country's national security should not be sacrificed.

"While the Konektadong Pinoy bill has good intentions, it may have adverse effects down the road similar to when the government legalized Philippine Offshore Gaming Corporations (POGO)," he said. "We have to correct the bill itself to ensure there is nothing lost when it comes to the implementing rules and regulations."

Under the proposed legislation, foreign-controlled companies would be allowed to control critical information infrastructure, essential for national security, without any financial, technical or legal checks.

Additionally, new players would be granted a grace period of one to three years after starting operations to implement cybersecurity measures, despite the high incidence of hacking in the Philippines.

The "Konektadong Pinoy" bill is a priority measure for the current administration, aiming to expand internet access nationwide by easing the entry of new players into the data transmission industry.