A congressman revived a proposal to penalize telecommunication firms that fail to provide fast internet speed to their consumers.
Makati City 2nd District Rep. Luis Campos Jr. filed House Bill No. 10215 that seeks to impose a fine worth Php 1 million per day to telcos that fail to reach compulsory internet speed targets.
"The Philippines still has one of the slowest average mobile internet speeds in Southeast Asia, and we want to fix this through an act of Congress," said Campos on Sunday, May 26, in a statement.
HB 10215 also seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7925, also known as the Public Telecommunications Policy Act, and classify internet connection as a 'basic service' within the jurisdiction and regulatory power of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
Based on the Speedtest Global Index, as of April 2024, mobile internet in the Philippines averages 32.37 megabits per second while fixed broadband averages 94.19 megabits per second.
The report of the Speedtest Global Index also shows that Qatar has the fastest mobile internet at 314.78 megabits per second, and Singapore has the fastest fixed broadband at 284.05 megabits per second.
