Solon seeks P1 million fine for telcos that fail to reach internet speeds

In an effort to amend the Public Telecommunications Policy Law, a lawmaker over the weekend renewed his call to penalize telecommunications entities by up to P1 million per day for failing to reach compulsory internet speeds.

Under House Bill 10215, Makati City representative Luis Campos Jr. is seeking to fine telecommunications firms up to P1 million per day or P365 million per year until they achieve full compliance with the compulsory internet speed targets.

“The Philippines still has one of the slowest average mobile internet speeds in Southeast Asia, and we want to fix this through an act of Congress,” Campos said in a statement.

“[It is the] State’s duty to protect the interest of consumers, including internet users, promote their general welfare, and to establish standards of conduct for business and industry,” he added.

The bill seeks to classify internet connection as a “basic service” that would fall within the jurisdiction and regulatory power of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

At present, internet connections are currently considered as a value-added service (VAS), which is outside the jurisdiction of the NTC. — DVM, GMA Integrated News