“In November last year, Dy explained to the President that the Free Wi-Fi Program is flawed and prone to corruption”
WITH the recent resignation of Ivan John Uy as Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the door is now open for this vital agency to undertake much-needed changes in the sector to allow it to really stand out as a center of excellence in public service.
Ample proof that the DICT is eager to deliver timely and relevant response to actual needs is its effort to stop cyber-attacks in the weeks leading up to the May midterm polls.
In our Saturday News Forum last March 1, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy told media he expects more cyber-attacks or what he termed as “inorganic social media engagements attributed to troll farms.”
Dy explained that election-related posts could be amplified by bots, or interweb robots doing repetitive tasks, and therefore go viral.
Social media posts or memes boosted by unrelated hashtags that are trending, usually featuring celebrities or political parties, are not illegal. Because of the lack of regulatory laws for such operations, the DICT could only suggest policies that could be crafted in the future.
What is illegal is hacking into a website to gain illegal access and prevent the intended users from using the system.
This is a criminal offense under Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Last year, the DICT monitored a total 5.4 million malicious attempts to hack at least 32 government agencies.
Of the processed cases, 60 were “advanced persistent threat,” a type of cyber-attack with “state-level” technology or backing.
The biggest cyber-attack problem in the country is the “information stealers” or “keyboard loggers” who are able to spread malware on the internet.
Because of these cases, Dy urged the public to do away with the use of passwords and opt for multifactor authentication, which includes biometric or facial recognition.
It’s not just monitoring cyber-attacks during the campaign period that keeps Dy busy these days.
As head of the DICT’s Infostructure Management, Cybersecurity, and Upskilling group, he plays a big role in implementing RA 10844 that seeks to “ensure universal access to quality, affordable, reliable and secure ICT services.”
The DICT is also mandated to “ensure the provision of a strategic, reliable, cost-efficient and citizen-centric information and communications technology infrastructure, systems and resources as instruments of good governance and global competitiveness.”
Dy is now overseeing the overhaul of the DICT’s Free Wi-fi Program and wants to initiate sweeping changes in it following President Marcos Jr.’s directive to review the sustainability of key DICT programs. He believes that the current approach to the Free Wi-Fi Program requires re-evaluation and restructuring.
“We are spending approximately ₱6.5 billion annually to provide internet access to more than 7,000 locations,” he said.
“There are more cost-effective alternatives if we enter into long-term agreements. For instance, we are in discussions with a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) provider for a potential discount to enhance connectivity in schools,” he pointed out.
The service provider has offered an aggregated 200Mbps (MIR) of internet for 10,000 school locations at only ₱1.5 billion per annum, provided the procurement is via a 10-year contract.
Beyond school connectivity, 40,000 additional locations have been identified for multicasting educational content, further improving digital learning accessibility nationwide.
The DICT is also implementing Malacañang’s directive to allocate ₱5 billion for the SIM Card ng Bayan Project.
This initiative aims to support the expansion of permanent cell site towers by subsidizing a portion of the cost for telcos and common tower providers. The subsidy will be provided in the form of free 25GB internet subscriptions for students within the coverage of these towers.
The SIM Card ng Bayan project will rely on the DICT’s Common Tower Program, which is designed to expand mobile network coverage. As network infrastructure grows, DICT can leverage these permanent towers to deploy broadband wireless access, further increasing the number of internet access points across the country.
The SIM Card ng Bayan Project is seen as a more sustainable alternative to the Free Wi-Fi Program.
In November last year, Dy explained to the President that the Free Wi-Fi Program is flawed and prone to corruption, and that the DICT should take a more sustainable route.
It appears the President agreed with his views, and therefore this key government agency can now fulfil its mandate to deliver excellent and reliable service to its constituency in the years ahead. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)