LGUs, power co-ops urged to eliminate barriers to broadband connectivity

MANILA, Philippines — Consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines has called on local government units (LGUs) and electric cooperatives nationwide to eliminate barriers to broadband connectivity which deprives areas affected of tangible economic opportunities.

“This is not a technology or even a capital issue but more of a bureaucratic bane. It is something we can address swiftly and effectively with enough political will and commitment,” CitizenWatch Philippines co-convenor Atty Tim Abejo said in a statement on Sunday.

Although Abejo commends the national government and private sector for its efforts, particularly in “introducing change to the bureaucratic processes,” he said that “administrative blocks at the site level are still delaying the powering up of telco towers.”

In line with this, Abejo said LGUs have the authority to adopt streamlined processes in telco towers and other infrastructure establishments within the area, while the electrification of these towers depends on the efficiency of electric cooperatives to deliver power to them.

“You can have all the equipment in place, but if they are not electrified, they might as well be white elephants,” Abejo said.

Among the challenges to the energization process of telco towers were non-standardized processes, delays, confusion in obtaining permits, resource shortages, inflexible timelines, and inconsistent fees, according to Abejo.

These issues were identified during a workshop conducted by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) last May 19.

In addressing these issues, Abejo said that the group hopes President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would sign the Executive Order on Telecommunications Infrastructure Development “to institutionalize the fast processing of permits and licenses relevant to digital infrastructure projects.”

He added that the EO was formulated based on the initial gains of two joint memorandum circulars issued in 2020 and 2021 but will expire at the end of next month.

“Those two JMCs have enabled us to achieve substantial progress in the past years. We were able to significantly cut down the number of documentary requirements, number of permits needed, and the processing time for the applications,” Abejo said.

“We should harness cooperation between the public and private sector, and this means all levels of government, from the national to the local levels. The sooner we can roll out a truly nationwide access to broadband services, the faster our economic rebound will be,” he added.

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