DICT reiterates call for P18B augmentation for Nat’l Broadband Program budget in 2021

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Friday reiterated its call to Congress to augment its budget for the National Broadband Program (NBP) in 2021.

In a statement, the DICT said it is requesting an additional budget of around P18 billion for the completion of the government’s own broadband network through the NBP.

During a Senate Finance Sub-Committee hearing on Tuesday, DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II told senators that the Department of Budget and Management only approved P900 million for the NBP, but the agency needs at least P18 billion.

“We accept the fact that the appreciation of the government sector for ICT being the future is still limited. Ang gusto po kasi is iyong nahahawakan - iyong tulay, iyong kalsada, iyong physical. That’s the infrastructure component. But from where we see it, we believe that we can actually do these simultaneously,” Honasan said.

For his part, DICT Assistant Secretary for Digital Philippines Emmanuel Rey Caintic explained that the completion of the NBP will result in cheaper and better internet service quality.

Caintic said internet services in the country are expensive because telecommunications companies spend much capital in building ICT infrastructure to deliver it services.

“Kung gagawa po tayo ng fiber backbone – first mile, middle mile - doon tutuhog ang mga tore ng mga telco. So hindi lang dadami—mumura… Kaya po mahal (ang Internet) kasi ang mahal po iyong paglatag pa po ng fiber kung saan magkakaroon ng tore,” Caintic said.

"So kung ang government po ang maglalatag ng fiber - so ang Smart, Globe, DITO, doon na lang sila kakabit sa ating mga fiber. Tapos doon din sila magdi-distribute to the residential. We do not wish to compete with the private sector market. Pero as the government, maganda po kung the SUF (spectrum users fee) that the telcos paid to us, we will re-invest it in creating the digital infrastructure,” he added.

National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba also emphasized the need for a government-owned broadband network.

“In all other countries, talaga pong gumagastos ang government sa national broadband. Ang nangyayari po sa ibang bansa ang gumagastos po at nagpapatayo ng infrastructure at ang gumagastos po ng capital expenditure ay ang government," Cordoba said.

"And all the telcos ay nagle-lease lang po from the national government. That is the model that is being used in other countries kaya po medyo maganda ang service nila. Wala po silang problema sa right of way at wala rin po silang problema sa mga permits because it is the national government that is doing all of that,” he said.

The NTC chief said neighboring countries like Indonesia and Vietnam also allotted substantial government investments in internet and broadband infrastructure.

In Indonesia, the 2014-2019 Indonesia Broadband Plan required a total funding of $23.2 billion (P1.12 trillion), 10% of which was covered by the state budget.

Meanwhile, Vietnam allocated $820 million (P39.7 billion pesos) worth of investment on a 23,000-kilometer submarine cable system.

The DICT said it is high time for the government to prioritize ICT programs as the country transitions to the new normal.—AOL, GMA News