The major business groups have backed a multi-stakeholder petition for the Senate to fast-track approval of the Open Access bill, and for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to include it as priority legislation in his next State of the Nation Address.
The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and Philippine Exporters Confederation (PHILEXPORT) were among the 10 organizations to sign a joint statement declaring “full support for the immediate enactment of the proposed Open Access in Internet Services Act” or OAIS Act.
The joint statement was signed on 5 July 2023 in Makati City by leaders from 10 groups coming from the industry and financial sectors and civil society.
The petitioners said the Open Access bill “will address the legal obstacles and binding constraints which have long stifled the growth of the Philippines’ internet industry” in a world increasingly reliant on connectivity to function and advance.
“Poor and unreliable access and unaffordable internet services persist,” according to the statement. It warns that not addressing the major challenges in Internet access, quality, and affordability will lead to digital exclusion, with steep consequences in terms of attempts to improve education, finance, e-governance, e-commerce, and health in the country.
Citing the ICT department’s 2019 survey, the statement said only 47 percent of Filipinos were found using the internet and 18 percent of households were subscribed to the internet when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
At the height of mobility restrictions, an education department survey revealed that 52 percent of public schools and 83 percent of their enrollees were unable to go online for classes.
The groups also voiced alarm about the growing broadband infrastructure gap, with remote rural areas the most disadvantaged.
In ASEAN, World Data Lab found that this year, the Philippines has the second highest number of “mobile internet poor” who find mobile data unaffordable, while data from the Alliance for Affordable Internet had the Philippines recording the second lowest affordability score in the region in 2021.
Moreover, Philippine mobile broadband was about 40 percent slower than the median speed of its ASEAN peers, according to Ookla data for March 2023, although Philippine fixed or wired broadband was doing slightly better.
“Moving forward, the digital divide threatens to undermine our economic growth, and must be addressed for the government’s push for e-governance to truly succeed,” the statement of support initiated by Better Internet PH declared.
Better Internet PH lead advocate Mary Grace Mirandilla-Santos in her presentation called on the Senate’s Science and Technology Committee to deliberate on and approve the Open Access bills and the National Economic and Development Authority to include Open Access as a priority legislation of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.
For his part, Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr., who signed the joint statement on behalf of ECOP, PCCI and PHILEXPORT, observed in his message how the widening digital divide “deprives Filipinos of equal opportunities.”
He added: “Promoting the development of existing infrastructure through immediate enactment of the proposed Open Access in Internet Services Act is a step towards paving the way for transformative advancement. Every Filipino must be given the opportunity to participate in the digital environment.”
The OAIS bill contains two key reforms that will address the legal obstacles and outdated laws that put up high barriers to entry and perpetuate a costly and inefficient way of installing broadband infrastructure.
One of these reforms seeks to lower the barriers and cost to market entry of internet network operators by simplifying the registration and qualification process for providers.
The other aims to make broadband network deployment faster and more efficient by promoting infrastructure sharing, and streamlining the approval process for permits to install broadband infrastructure.
Joining the business groups and Better Internet PH in signing the manifesto were the Internet Society Philippines Chapter, Fintech Alliance.PH, Philippine Cable Television Association, Inc., National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, Foundation for Media Alternatives, and Democracy.Net.PH.
These groups similarly affirmed their support for the OAIS bill, stressing that open access to the Internet is a fundamental right of all Filipinos regardless of where they live.
The Senate S&T Committee started holding public hearings on digital connectivity and cybersecurity bills, including Open Access, last month.
