NEDA secretary Arsenio Balisacan told a forum that access to reliable Internet services is no longer a luxury but a fundamental prerequisite for inclusive socioeconomic development.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, has assured foreign chambers that the Senate is taking seriously their concern on the boosting of Internet connectivity in the country, saying the quality of digital infrastructure is the cornerstone to economic development and will consequently improve the general welfare of the Filipino people.
The proposed bill seeks to liberalize the local ICT industry by lowering barriers to market entry, fast-track and lower the cost of deploying broadband facilities, promote infrastructure sharing, and make spectrum management more fair and transparent.
In its 10th meeting held on Tuesday, February 2, the Financial Inclusion Steering Committee (FISC) agreed to endorse legislative priorities aimed at enhancing the country’s digital and credit infrastructure as critical enablers of financial inclusion.
The Open Access Bill, or House Bill No. 6557, passed on third reading by the House of Representatives and was transmitted to the Senate late in 2017. Its counterpart bill in the upper chamber, Senate Bill No. 1763, remains pending on second reading.
