Telcos told: Shape up, take warning seriously
The country’s telecommunications companies should take President Durterte’s threat of “expropriation” seriously and “shape up,” Senate President Vicente Sotto III said yesterday.
“It’s about time they shape up, and not just think of incomes,” Sotto told reporters via videoconference even as he warned the government has other means to ensure compliance other than expropriation.
He said Congress can swiftly revoke their franchise and “have other investors take over.”
He said the Philippines embarrassingly lags far behind its neighbors in terms of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure.
The President, in his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, lashed out at Globe Telecom and Smart Communications for their supposed poor service.
Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services which also approves franchises, warned the “frustration is growing by the day for fast, affordable and reliable internet service, which has become a necessity as people rely more on digital technologies amid the pandemic.”
“We know that improving internet service and coverage will happen not only by obligating the telcos but government regulators as well to remove the roadblocks to building the necessary communication infrastructure,” Poe said.
She said concerned national agencies and local government units should step up so that the approval of at least 25 regulatory permits for the construction of cell towers would not take six months or more.
She also renewed her call for the passage of the proposed E-Government Act to make government services accessible online.
The measure seeks to establish real-time service and streamline business registration with government agencies, while ensuring transparency of dealings.
“To fully implement this when passed, internet connection is crucial. Both government and telcos should work double time to give our millions of Filipinos better and cheaper connectivity by the end of the year. We expect them to act with urgency and sense of duty for the sake of our people,” she said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson noted such threats from Duterte worked in the past, citing Mighty’s P40-billion tax settlement, Philippine Airlines’ settling a P6-billion obligation to the government, the Mile Long property taken over by government and the rehabilitation of Boracay.
“Whether the government takeover of telcos is justified and compliant with the provisions of the Constitution, given the circumstances, is another matter altogether, however,” Lacson said.
“Having said that, telcos should treat the President’s pronouncement as a wake-up call to improve their services to the public, as one thing in the President’s statement on the issue is certain and true: that our country’s telecommunications services pale in comparison with our neighbors and with other jurisdictions in terms of speed and efficiency,” he said.