PH urged to emulate Canada

The Philippines should follow in the footsteps of Canada and declare broadband a basic telecommunications service to pave the way for high-speed Internet access in the country, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said on Sunday.

“Our sense is, the quickest way to provide all Filipinos, especially those in the countryside, high-speed Internet access is for us to do what the Canadians did,” Campos said.

Campos was referring to the Canadian government’s move to put broadband or high-speed Internet access in the same category as the land line telephone.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) also ordered all telecommunications players to offer consumers in all parts of Canada Internet connection speeds of at least 50 megabits per second.

To ensure rural districts are not left behind, the CRTC also required telecommunications firms to contribute around one-half of one percent of all their revenues to a fund that would subsidize the rollout of broadband facilities in unserved areas.

“High-speed Internet access has become essential for every Filipino family to enjoy a superior quality of life, and for small businesses to succeed,” Campos said.

Campos’ remarks came shortly after reports the Duterte administration’s initiative to bring in a third telecommunications player has been delayed again by officials’ disagreement on how it should be carried out.

The administration is counting on the new player to rev up market competition and improve broadband services.

Campos has been prodding Congress to pass House Bill 5337 which seeks to tag broadband as a basic service so that all Filipinos may have access to rising Internet connection speeds in the years ahead.

The bill would subject broadband to minimum service standards and direct regulatory supervision by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

At present, the land line telephone is the only basic service within the jurisdiction and regulatory powers of the NTC under the Philippines’ 23-year-old Public Telecommunications Policy Law.

Broadband and other forms of telecommunication that emerged after the law’s passage in 1995 are considered “value-added services” beyond the NTC’s reach when it comes to compelling upgrades.

The Philippines now ranks No. 12 worldwide in terms of total number of Internet users.

More than 54 Filipinos now use the Internet, or a penetration rate of 52 percent of the population, according to Internet World Stats.