THE foreign business groups reiterated their call for the government to approve a bill aimed at improving the broadband infrastructure in the country amid the accelerated shift to digital in pandemic.
In a statement on Tuesday, the seven members of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) said they were optimistic that Congress will greenlight at its third regular session the Open Access in Data Transmission bill.
“The legislation aims to bridge critical gaps in broadband infrastructure by attracting more firms to invest in the data transmission and broadband sector,” JFC said.
The foreign chambers noted that the House of Representatives has approved the House Bill 8910 on second reading. However, the Senate counterpart bill is still pending in the Science and Technology Committee, they added.
The JFC is also looking forward to any mention of the bill during the President’s last State of the Nation Address on July 26. The private sector groups recommend certifying the measure as urgent to stress its importance on economic recovery and competition and investments in broadband.
“Digital infrastructure in the country is not as good as infrastructure in competing countries in the region. World Economic Forum ratings, where the Philippines is usually behind Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and increasingly behind Vietnam, indicate the Philippines has less robust and competitive digital infrastructure,” the JFC noted.
The pandemic, which caused widespread mobility restrictions, proved the need to develop a robust digital infrastructure, the joint statement read.
When passed into law, the Open Access bill will provide a competitive policy and regulatory framework that eases entry requirements to the data transmission market, the
JFC said.
“Without substantial new investment and competition in each of the four ‘miles’ of the broadband sector, recovery from the pandemic will be slower and Filipinos will be less well served than their counterparts in Asean,” the business groups warned.
The signatories of the statement are the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc.