The Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport ) showed full support anew for the swift passage of the Open Access in Data Transmission bill, saying the legislation will help close the broadband infrastructure gap and facilitate recovery amid the pandemic.
This as the draft bill, filed as House Bill (HB) No. 8910 in the Lower House and as Senate Bill (SB) Nos. 45 and 911 in the Senate, remains pending as of last month.
Philexport said if passed, the Open Access Law will allow the private sector, including Internet service providers and value-added service providers, especially those operating in the rural areas, to connect to the government’s National Broadband Plan infrastructure, which will extend the benefits of the Plan to the Filipino consumer.
“The policy and regulation we use for Internet connectivity are anchored on analog-era fixed telephone and radio broadcast services. It is indeed high time that we pass laws that reflect how people connect and communicate in the Digital Age, an imperative that President Duterte himself has repeatedly raised,” the group said in a position paper.
The bill will also encourage different types of providers to build the “arterial road,” or the so-called middle mile, leading to the communities to provide free public Wi-Fi connectivity or commercial Internet service.
Another benefit seen is how it will institutionalize infrastructure-sharing and the streamlining of permits and regulatory requirements, removing a major stumbling block to the rollout of broadband networks.
The regulation will likewise promote the use of any technology, such as mobile, wired, wireless, satellite, and other internet technologies, by qualified providers.
“There is an issue which was exacerbated by the pandemic but something that we knew all along: that the country’s information and communications technology infrastructure is insufficient, mainly due to inherent problems in the country’s legal framework governing ICT,” Philexport said.
