Broadband link installation should be lease-free – group

IF the installation of water lines and electricity are lease free, why can't broadband connectivity be the same?

This was the question raised by the group CitizenWatch, as it pointed out that broadband link is an essential productivity and communications tool that should be made accessible to all citizens and therefore must have an adequate space allocation in both private and public property construction.

Tim Abejo, co-convenor of CitizenWatch, said that the internet is crucial in the digital age.

«Having internet connection in every workplace, commercial and residential areas should now be a standard amenity, the same way that adequate utility easements are provided for electricity and water services,» Abejo said.

The advocacy group urged Congress to prioritize the amendments to the National Building Code to allow the telecommunications and broadband network links to be installed with the same treatment as water and electricity facilities, which are integrated early on in the design stage free of lease payments.

The House of Representatives has adopted a bill proposing to amend the NBC. House Bill 8500 aims to include revisions related to ICT but does not include the removal of leasing payments for cell towers.

Based on data from the Department of Information and Communications Technology for 2023, 65 percent of the country's population was without internet access. Data from the Statista Research Department showed that 77.81 percent of the Filipino population will only have an internet connection by 2028

The average broadband internet speed in the Philippines was ranked 41st in the world, according to the Telecom Review. This is a big problem because the speed is frequently inconsistent and limited.

Currently, 767 buildings across the country have accepted the zero-lease initiative, with Makati City having the highest number at 105, Taguig with 91, and Quezon City, 57 under Globe Telecommunications.

Areas in North and South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, on the other hand, have yet to pick up the pace with the zero-lease for buildings to help provide better internet access.