The Senate approved the Konektadong Pinoy Bill on Third and Final Reading, a measure authored and sponsored by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano that aims to ensure reliable, affordable, and accessible internet connection nationwide.
The bill garnered broad support, with 17 senators voting in favor and none voting against or abstaining during the plenary session recently.
Senators Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva, and Majority Leader Francis Tolentino thanked Cayetano for his leadership in shepherding the passage of this landmark measure.
The previous day, Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, reminded the chamber of the importance of aligning the Konektadong Pinoy Bill (Senate Bill No. 2699) with various Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laws to ensure faster and more accessible internet in the country.
“We won’t take the Konektadong Pinoy Bill in isolation.”
“We won’t take the Konektadong Pinoy Bill in isolation because there’s the [need to also implement the] E-Governance Act, Creation of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), other ICT bills, and the masterplan for the country’s digital highway,” the veteran legislator said during the bill’s period of amendments.
“Kasi kahit anong gaganda ng plano mo for ICT, kung di ka rin connected, wala ring mangyayari.”
“Kasi kahit anong gaganda ng plano mo for ICT, kung di ka rin connected, wala ring mangyayari,” the seasoned lawmaker explained, adding that these will be reinforced in the Act’s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
The senator was responding to the proposed amendments by Tolentino and Senator Migz Zubiri to include a provision requiring the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to ensure that Data Transmission Industry Participants (DTIPs) provide continuous and uninterrupted service to agencies and institutions in times of national emergencies, disasters or calamities.
Cayetano welcomed the amendment, highlighting the importance of ensuring internet coverage across every area and island in the country.
Jointly submitted by the Senate Committees on Science and Technology, Public Services, and Finance on May 22, 2024, the Konektadong Pinoy Bill primarily aims to make it easier for service providers to enter the market, fostering competition, and offering consumers a greater number and more affordable options for internet services.
The bill also seeks to ensure that incoming service providers have access to telecommunications infrastructure while setting standards to protect consumers. It upholds users’ rights as well by ensuring quality service, requiring providers to meet minimum service standards.
Other proposed amendments to the Konektadong Pinoy Act that he welcomed were provisions to prioritize the installation of infrastructure in areas near educational institutions and offer students in public and private schools appropriate discounts as part of the DTIPs’ corporate social responsibility.
“We honor these concepts to provide connectivity to those who need it the most. If all of these different laws work, we hope to have free WiFi in the schools to help the students,” Cayetano concluded.
