Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian. Photo from Office of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged Congress on Wednesday to prioritize the passage of three bills that he said would help end the existing duopoly in the country鈥檚 telecommunications industry.
Gatchalian said the three bills are the Lifetime Cell Phone Number Act (Senate Bill 1636), the Open Access in Data Transmission Act (Senate Bill 1644), and Senate Bill 1594 or an amendment to existing Commonwealth Act No. 146 or the Public Service Act (PSA).
These bills, he said, would 鈥渉elp ensure that our country鈥檚 telecommunications services will be reliable, inexpensive, and secure, in line with President Duterte鈥檚 vision.鈥�
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According to Gatchalian, the proposed Lifetime Cell Phone Number Act would 鈥渁llow subscribers to retain their mobile phone numbers if they choose to switch providers.鈥�
鈥淕one will be the days of people text-blasting their contacts, 鈥榩lease save my new number and delete my old one鈥� every time they switch providers or change their type of service,鈥� he said.
The Open Access in Data Transmission Act, meanwhile, would permit the entry of new telco players by 鈥渂reaking down regulatory barriers, lowering the cost of entry, and adopting a technology-neutral policy framework.鈥�
Gatchalian also asserted that the proposed amendment to the existing PSA will open doors for 鈥渕ore choices, better services, and lower prices鈥� for subscribers.
He lamented that under the current PSA, there is no clear definition of public utilities and services, so all basic services including telecommunications are automatically subjected to the 60:40 foreign capital limit.
This capital limit restricts foreign ownership to public utilities to 40 percent under the 1987 Constitution.
鈥淭hese restrictions lead to lack of competition and encourage monopolies, or in the case of our current telco setup, a duopoly,鈥� Gatchalian said. /jpv
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