Why policy is our ultimate tech support

Why policy is our ultimate tech support | Daily Tribune

Here we go again. You’re doomscrolling through your feed, and the Wi-Fi signal drops… for the fifth time today. You mutter a few choice words at your router, but what if I told you the solution to our collective tech woes isn’t just about getting a new modem or a better data plan? What if the ultimate tech support, we need is actually… public policy?

I know, I know. “Public policy” sounds like something you’d hear in a stuffy government office, not in the same sentence as “tech glow-up.” But hear me out. Think of public policy as the invisible infrastructure, the unseen code that can either make our digital lives a seamless dream or a buffering nightmare. It’s the government’s way of either hitting “Install Updates” on the nation’s tech infrastructure or leaving us stuck with the digital equivalent of dial-up.

For the Philippines to truly level up in the tech game, we need more than just the latest gadgets. We need policies that build the digital highways for everyone, not just for those in the big cities. We’re talking about a National Broadband Plan that reaches the farthest corners of the country, and an Open Access in Data Transmission Bill that can finally give us the fast, reliable, and affordable internet we all deserve. It’s about closing the digital divide, so that a student in a remote province has the same online opportunities as someone in the metro.

Of course, it’s not just about the hardware. It’s also about the “software” of our society — the skills and mindset. We need policies that support digital literacy programs, so that our workforce is ready for the jobs of the future. We need to create an environment where local tech startups can thrive, and where innovation is not just a buzzword but a reality.

The government has already started rolling out some cool initiatives, like the eGov PH Super App, which is a great step towards making public services more accessible. But we need to keep the momentum going. We need to tackle the high cost of technology for small businesses, and we need to get serious about cybersecurity to protect ourselves from the digital boogeymen.

So, the next time your video call freezes, or your download speed crawls to a halt, remember that the solution might not be in your hands, but in the hands of our policymakers. Getting our public policy right is the ultimate tech glow-up for the Philippines. It’s time to demand a better digital future for all of us.