MANILA, Philippines- Sinertipika bilang urgent ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ang pagpapasa ng batas na naglalayong magbigay ng “affordable at accessible internet connectivity” sa mga mamamayang Pilipino sa buong bansa.
Sa isang liham para kay Senate President Francis Escudero na may petsang Enero 27, nanawagan si Pangulong Marcos para sa agarang pagsasabatas ng Senate Bill 2699 o Konektadong Pinoy Act “to facilitate the development of a robust and resilient communications infrastructure.”
Nakasaad pa rin sa liham na ang pagtatatag ng “competitive at innovation-driven data transmission industry ” na “will safeguard the public interest, promote fair competition, encourage investment in critical digital networks, and equip the government and public with the necessary tools to maintain vital communications channels and effectively respond to emergency situations.”
Nananatili namang nakabinbin ang Senate Bill 2699 para sa ikalawang pagbasa.
Sa ilalim ng panukalang batas, magsasanib-pwersa ang Department of Information and Communications Technology at National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) para panatilihin at i-update ang centralized database ng data transmission infrastructure.
May mandato rin ang Philippine Competition Commission at NTC na tiyakin na ang lahat ng industry players ay mabibigyan ng pantay, “reasonable at non-discriminatory treatment” sa lahat ng kanilang ‘dealings.’
Gayunman, sinabi naman ng advisory at research firm na Stratbase noong nakaraang Oktubre na habang ang mga mambabatas ay mayroong marangal na intensyon sa kanilang isipan, “the bill in its current form may expose us to more pitfalls and risks.”
“The law seeks to make it easier for investments in telecommunications to pour into the country, and part of this is to address the roadblocks that hinder the flow of investments. But in our zeal to encourage investments, it would be prudent to maintain the regulatory oversight of the NTC. Only it will keep telcos in line and will serve as the people’s recourse,” ang sinabi ng Stratbase.
Samantala, itinutulak naman ng National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) ang pagpapasa ng batas kung saan sinabi nito na makapagbibigay ito ng open access at transparency data transmission sector sa bansa. Kris Jose