With a senator expressing his dismay on the delay of its issuance, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) formally released on Thursday, Aug. 13, its memorandum order on Internet speed and standards in the country.
As expected, the final version of the circular carried the same details that were contained in the draft copy that was sent to the media in the first week of August.
On the same day that Newsbytes.PH published a story on the then impending circular, Sen. Paolo Benigno ?Bam? Aquino criticized the NTC for the overdue delay of the release of the document.
The Computer Professionals Union, an activist organization of local ICT professionals, also branded the NTC as ?inutile? for allegedly failing to institute stronger pro-consumer policies in its draft memorandum circular on Internet speed and standards.
The memorandum order contains a contentious provision that allows service providers to put a limit on data volume consumed by local subscribers. At the same time, it also adopted ?average speed? as a guide for consumers on which service provider has the best average data speed in a particular area.
The circular, signed by NTC commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba and deputy commissioners Carlo Jose Martinez and Delilah Deles, is expected to take effect 15 days after its publication in a national newspaper.
