The House of Representatives approved on Wednesday, Dec. 1, a proposed law that requires all housing developments, including subdivisions, to set aside a portion of their designated open space for information and communication technology infrastructure and amenities.
House Bill 10388 or the proposed “Housing Development Digital Connectivity Act” unanimously passed on third and final reading with 224 affirmative votes.
Under the proposed measure, in case of denial of consent by the homeowners’ association, ICT providers such as telcos are given the right to file a case before the Regional Adjudicator of the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission.
The Regional Adjudicator of the region where the subdivision is located shall exercise original and exclusive jurisdiction to hear and decide the case, according to the bill.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) are also mandated to prepare a comprehensive locational plan that identifies the sites for the construction and establishment of ICT infrastructure and facilities in accordance with the comprehensive land use plan and zoning ordinance of each local government unit.
The lower chamber, during the same session, also unanimously approved House Bill 10329 or the proposed “Public Schools of the Future in Technology (PSOFT) Act”. It received 221 affirmative votes.
The measure would institutionalize a program for the integration of digital technology and innovation in public basic education. It would likewise create the Public Schools of the Future in Technology Inter-Agency Task Force (PSOFT-IATF) to develop the PSOFT Road Map.
