FILE PHOTO: Senator Grace Poe in one of the Senate’s virtual hearings. Screengrab / Senate PRIB file photo
MANILA, Philippines — “Our definition of the new normal should include internet access for all,” Senator Grace Poe said Wednesday, noting that Filipinos’ long wait for faster, reliable, and affordable internet would end with the foray of telecommunication companies (telcos) into more advanced technologies.
“Our people deserve the same quality of connectivity as the rest of the world,” she said.
According to Poe, the public anticipates that the upgrade and expansion by telcos would help in sealing the digital divide critical to the country’s COVID-19 recovery.
Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, called on government regulators to ensure that developments will not lead to interruption of services.
She, meanwhile, stressed that telcos should meet their deadlines.
The completion of Phase 1 of the National Broadband Program, the infrastructure blueprint for accessible internet connectivity, is set by February 2022.
The Phase 1 accomplishment of the program would hike internet speed to 200 megabits per second for state agencies and departments, the Department of Information and Communications Technology said.
Further, Poe said that any shift to new technology should not burden customers.
“The inevitability of online classes, work-from-home arrangements, and business transactions during this pandemic has made the internet service an essential for everybody,” the senator said.
“Our people look forward to the day when they can really partake of the gains of a true digital transformation,” she added.
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