In a Facebook post, DICT undersecretary and officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio Jr. said fixed broadband is the weak point of Globe Telecom and Smart Communications and that is where the third player in the local telecom industry should pounce on.
House Bill 6221, which seeks to establish a "Filipino Identification System" or "FilSys" was passed by the House of Representatives in September 2017. The Senate hopes to pass its counterpart bill during the first quarter of 2018.
DTI secretary Ramon Lopez said they took into consideration the argument of the telcos that there is still cost involved in maintaining the load if there is no expiration date.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), through deputy commissioner Edgardo Cabarios, has expressed confidence that the proposed law will be approved by Congress.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the NTC and DICT were tasked to approve all applications and licenses within seven days. And that if it is not approved within seven days, it is deemed approved.
The company asserted that the US decision is unconstitutional and relied on subjective, non-technical public sources such as uncorroborated and often anonymously sourced media reports, related claims, and rumors.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) secretary Fortunato de la Pena said he hopes Congress would pass more science-related bills in 2018, particularly those that deal with space development.
DICT officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio Jr. said Globe Telecom and Smart Communications reaped a cash windfall with SMS or text messaging a number of years back but did not invest in building cell towers despite the anticipated massive demand for mobile data.