Makati City Rep. Luis Campos, Jr. on Sunday expressed disappointment over the failure of telecommunications companies (telcos) to improve their internet services.
“Telcos are simply not doing enough to improve their networks,” Campos lamented in a news release, criticizing them for the Philippines’ low ranking in global mobile internet speed rankings.
“This is why we want Congress to pass a new law, so that the government can set compulsory deadlines for telcos to deliver faster mobile internet speeds under pain of punitive regulatory fines,” the lawmaker added.
The Philippines’ mobile internet speed slowed to an average of 32.12 megabits per second (Mbps) last month, causing the country to fall by four notches to rank No. 83 worldwide in Ookla’s May 2024 Global Speedtest Index, according to Campos.
“We want accelerating mobile internet speeds to improve public access to online resources, government services, education, and new opportunities,” he said.
In the May 2024 rankings, the Philippines still placed no. six among the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Makati City lawmaker is batting for a proposed legislation that seeks to tag high-speed internet connection as a basic telecoms service “to which every Filipino enjoys a right of access, rather than a value-added service.”
