Businesses bat for passage of Open Access bill

MANILA, Philippines — Foreign and local business groups are calling on the government to immediately approve the Open Access in Data Transmission bill into law to address gaps in the country’s broadband infrastructure.

In a statement yesterday, the American, Australian-New Zealand, Canadian, European, Japanese, Korean chambers of commerce in the Philippines, as well as the Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc., Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation Inc. and US-ASEAN Business Council urged the Senate to start deliberations on the proposed measure.

Proposals for the Open Access in Data Transmission Act are pending in the Senate science and technology committee.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has approved the bill on third and final reading.

The proposed measure seeks to make it easier for internet service providers to enter the market, and enable faster deployment of broadband facilities.

It also aims to give consumers access to more affordable and convenient internet access.

The groups said the passage of the bill is important in the country’s economic recovery and to have more competition and investments in broadband particularly in underserved areas.

The Philippines lags behind its neighbors in terms of digital infrastructure.

“One major lesson of the ongoing pandemic is that developing competitive digital infrastructure is essential for better lives for everyone in the Philippines and certainly critical for investment, particularly foreign investment,” the groups said.

Once the bill is passed into law, the groups said it would provide a competitive policy and regulatory framework to reduce the barriers, as well as costs for new players in the data transmission market.

“This will significantly improve data transmission services (faster internet speed and lower internet costs) throughout the country,” the groups said.