Provide Internet speed as promised, Gobind tells telcos
PORT DICKSON: Telecommunications companies offering Internet service packages need to ensure that consumers get the speed of the Internet as offered in their packages, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
He said the ministry, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), would monitor the matter and would take appropriate action if the Internet speed experienced by the customers was not the same as promised.
“Telcos must understand, that when they issue new packages, that offer higher speeds and lower costs, they have to make sure the speed that the customers receive is as promised.
“So, I ask them to boost their monitoring on the matter. I also ask telcos to create a complaint bureau. Complaints must be studied in depth, quickly and effectively,” he said here yesterday.
He urged telecommunications companies to review old Internet packages offered to customers.
He said the government welcomed the new packages offered by those companies that served better Internet speeds at lower prices.
But they needed to appreciate customers who still subscribed to old packages.
“On behalf of our ministry, I’ve told MCMC that we are serious. We are serious when we say we want lower prices, faster speeds,” he said.
Gobind said the government was working towards revising the minimum standard and pricing of the Internet services and MCMC would make an announcement about it today.
Asked whether his presence in Port Dickson yesterday was due to the Port Dickson Pakatan Harapan candidate Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s comment about the lack of Internet speed here, Gobind said the matter did not arise.
Gobind, who is DAP deputy chairman, said he was here to campaign for Anwar because of his spirit of brotherhood and unity in PH.
“We are coming to the campaign because we are friends who are familiar with Anwar. He is my good friend.
“I am not here as a minister, I am here as Gobind Singh Deo and I am also member of parliament for Puchong,” he said.
The Port Dickson by-election would be held after incumbent Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, 68, vacated the seat on Sept 12 to give way to Anwar to contest and return to the Dewan Rakyat.
The by-election would see a seven-cornered fight involving Anwar, who recently won the Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s presidential post, representing PH, Pas candidate Lieutenant-Colonel (rtd) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar and five independent candidates, including Anwar’s former personal assistant, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, and former Negri Sembilan menteri besar Tan Sri Isa Samad.
In the 14th General Election, May 9, Balagopal won the seat with a majority of 17,710 votes defeating Barisan Nasional Datuk V.S. Mogan and Mahfuz Roslan from PAS.
The Port Dickson parliament has 75,770 registered voters comprising 43 per cent Malay, Chinese (33 per cent), Indians (22 per cent) and other races (two per cent).
The Election Commission has set Oct 13 as polling day and Tuesday (Oct 9) as the day of early polling.