DICT eyes policy to subsidize telco tower rollout

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said on Thursday it is studying a proposal for the government to partially fund the setting up of telecommunications towers in developing areas to improve overall connectivity. In an interview on the sidelines of The Manila Times Digital Innovation and Transformation Forum, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy said ICT Secretary Ivan John Uy ordered the department to study the possibility of implementing a policy where the government can subsidize the building of towers in isolated areas to encourage the private sector to do the same. "In fact, we are discussing with the telco companies this matter, as this suggestion in fact started with them. We just need to revise it a little bit so it can be acceptable to both parties," he added. Recently, Globe Telecom Inc. and PLDT Inc. have been advocating a collaborative, industry-wide approach to expand infrastructure in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas as they proposed the construction of new towers in remote parts of the country through a public-private collaboration. Meanwhile, Dy said that to accommodate and accelerate the digitalization of the Philippines, there is a need to come up with more policies to try and liberalize how the telco industry works to drive down related costs and encourage more telco companies to come in and invest in the Philippines. "Overall, we need to push more bills that are like the National Economic and Development Authority's Konektadong Pinoy Bill that will liberalize how the telco industry works. This is to help them drive down their costs, bring in higher internet speed, and bring in more interest from the private sector to construct more towers all over the country to improve connectivity overall," Dy said. Proposed in August, the Konektadong Pinoy bill aims to reduce costs and expand access to high-quality internet services for all Filipinos, especially those in unserved and underserved areas.