The Konektadong Pinoy Bill, which aims to address complaints of slow and expensive internet in the Philippines, has lapsed into law.
What changes does the new law introduce?
The new introduces several changes to the telecommunications sector
- Streamlines licensing procedures for internet service providers
- Promotes infrastructure sharing among companies
- Allows new companies to enter the broadband and data transmission market without requiring a congressional franchise.
How will the new law impact Filipinos?
The Konektadong Pinoy Law is expected to help accelerate internet service expansion to underserved areas, particularly remote villages and schools without reliable connectivity, while also improving the competition among service providers, which could potentially affect pricing and service quality.
What are the concerns about the new law?
Some established telecommunications companies have expressed reservations about the changes. PLDT, Inc., for example, has hinted that it may even challenge the law in court, citing concerns about regulatory oversight and competitive fairness.
Several groups of information security professionals have expressed support for the bill, but also called for stronger safeguards to be introduced, citing that certain provisions in the law may unintentionally expose the Philippines to heightened cyber threats.
In response, the DICT clarified that deregulation at the expense of security or public interest will never be allowed, and that the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) will reinforce the NTC’s role as a technical regulator.
Why was the Konektadong Pinoy Law created?
Recent international rankings show that the Philippines placed 70th out of 104 nations in mobile internet speed and 54th out of 153 in fixed broadband speed, according to the July 2025 Speedtest Global Index. This greatly contrasts with the country’s neighbors like Singapore and Thailand, which rank significantly higher in terms of broadband performance.
So far, the government has already several initiatives in place to address the connectivity gaps affecting education, business, and government services, including the Free Wi-Fi for All program.
The DICT has 90 days to release the IRR for the Konektadong Pinoy Law. What do you think?
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
