The House Committee on Information and Communications Technology has ordered the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to fast-track its plan to lower interconnection charges for voice calls.
The order was made after lawmakers aired their complaints against telecommunications services in the country, including slow Internet, dropped calls and costly voice-call charges to other networks, during a recent committee hearing, headed by Rep. Victor A. Yap of Tarlac.
NTC Deputy Commissioner Edgardo Cabarios said the present interconnection rates among telcos at P4 per minute drive the cost higher.
But Cabarios said there are plans to lower the interconnection charges this year or next year.
He said the existing telcos charge each other a fixed rate of P4 per minute for every call they facilitate and process from consumers of different networks.
Cabarios said the amount, which 119 million subscribers pay, is one of the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. Callers pay this amount whenever they make a call, including dropped calls that occur in the process.
Meanwhile, Yap directed the NTC to look into the immediate lowering of interconnection charges.
Yap said telcos present at the meeting—Smart and Globe—said they would lower the interconnection charges once directed by the NTC. Section 5(c) of Republic Act (RA) 7925 directs the NTC to “mandate a fair and reasonable interconnection of facilities of authorized public network operators and other providers of telecommunications services through appropriate modalities of interconnection and at a reasonable and fair level of charges.”
In 2011 the NTC issued a memorandum circular lowering the interconnection rate for SMS from P0.35 to P0.15. As a result, the country’s rate for SMS is one of the lowest.
NTC Chairman Gamaliel Cordoba said lowering interconnection charges for voice calls from P4 per minute to P2 to P2.50 per minute can result to unlimited calls to other networks, as what happened when NTC lowered interconnection charges for SMS; it resulted in unlimited SMS.
Yap said if the NTC already decreased the interconnection rates for text messages, “I do not see any reason you cannot do the same with voice calls now.”
Yap said his committee will prioritize the passage of measures improving public access to the Internet and communications services, cyber security and enactment of bills on telecommunications services and standards.
“For the 17th Congress will target enactment of bills on open access interconnections and convergence, enactment of bills for Free Wi-fi connection in public areas, bills on cyber bullying, cyber security and cyber fraud, enactment of bills on telecommunications service and standards, and most importantly, the possibility of institutionalizing the establishment of Philippine Big Data Centers and e-government master plan,” Yap said.
He said the committee will also amend outdated provisions of Republic Act 7925 or the “Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines” as well as the Commonwealth Act 146 or the “Public Service Act of 1936.”
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Jovee Marie de la Cruz
Quelle/Source: Business Mirror, 17.10.2016
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
