The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) is also coming up with a regulation imposing stiffer fines on telcos and internet service providers (ISPs) which provide poor customer service such as inaction or delayed actions on application and complaints.
Government is preparing a joint administrative order that would govern online transactions as an interim measure while the proposed Internet Transactions Act is being deliberated in Congress.
DICT Undersecretary Manny Caintic in a television interview on Saturday said the department is also working on another regulation governing the imposition of fair and just fees and charges by telcos and ISPs in case of disconnection or undelivered service.
As internet speeds have improved significantly due to intense competition and faster rollout of telecom infrastructure like towers, Caintic said “the battleground among telcos and ISPs has shifted to customer service.”
He said this will force telcos and ISPs to shape up and give satisfactory customer service to their clients.
Caintic said common complaints received by the National Telecommunication Commission is the unresponsiveness of telcos and ISPs on their queries on anything from the status of their applications, service interruptions to disconnection through formal and informal channels.
On e-commerce, Caintic said the DICT is stepping up the implementation of its mandate on delivery versus payment (DVP) where it compels e-commerce platforms to fulfill the DVP.
He said the DICT has a mechanism and audit system with which the buyer can be refunded.
Postal regulation is part of DICT’s mandate.
Caintic said two months ago, the agency’s Postal Regulation Division has started the registration of all messengers or riders enrolled in delivery platforms also as part of its DVP mandate.
Complaints on fraudulent sales will continue to be handled by the Department of Trade and Industry.
The proposed Internet Transactions Act provides for the registry system of online sellers to develop the e-commerce sector.
It also gives the government the authority to take down websites which are found to engage in deceptive sales practices.
