THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has exceeded its collection target in 2017, resulting in almost P500 billion in revenues, data from the agency showed.
The regulator collected roughly P4.803 billion last year, 12 percent higher than its P4.341-billion target.
The target was set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee composed of the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Finance and the National Economic Development Authority.
In a statement, NTC Commissioner Gamaliel A. Cordoba said this is the second straight year of the Duterte administration that the agency exceeded its collection target.
“The NTC management will continue rallying the agency to achieve the same results for 2018,” he said.
He attributed the “achievement” from the commission’s efforts to strictly enforce stakeholders’ compliance in remitting spectrum users’ fees, supervision and regulation fees and penalties.
Stakeholders regulated by the NTC include cable and commercial television operators, broadcast radio stations, telecommunications companies and two-way radio operators.
“We realize the need for the commission to help contribute in its own little way to the various national government public-service programs pushed by President Duterte—priorities of which are on infrastructure, agriculture and rural development, and peace and order,” Cordoba said.
The amount, however, was lower than the 2016 collection, which was at P5.1 billion.