Poe to ISPs, cable group: Make internet affordable, accessible to Filipinos

PHILIPPINES, March 27 - Press Release
March 27, 2025

Poe to ISPs, cable group: Make internet affordable, accessible to Filipinos

Sen. Grace Poe exhorted the country's internet service providers (ISPs) and cable TV operators to work relentlessly to ensure that Filipinos have access to quality and affordable internet.

Post-pandemic, Poe said the call to action should be digital connectivity and inclusivity.

"In an archipelagic country consisting of 7,641 islands and a population of roughly 110 million, 60% of which live in the coastal zone, digital connectivity is imperative to conquer our physical disconnection," Poe said in a speech during the Philippine Tech Show 2025 of the Philippine Cable and Telecommunications Association Inc.

"Digital inclusivity can lead to socio-economic inclusivity. And social inclusivity can lead to greater prosperity, increased well-being, and progressive communities," she added.

The senator cited a World Bank report on the Philippines that found only 33% of households had access to fixed broadband, below the ASEAN average of 41%.

The report also said the Philippines accounted for more than half of the ASEAN population that remained unconnected to mobile broadband.

The World Bank also found that in the Philippines, the annual charge for fixed broadband averages 11 percent of per capita gross national income (GNI)—twice as much as the ASEAN average.

Meanwhile, mobile broadband cost is at 2 percent of per capita GNI or 1.5 times more than the ASEAN average.

"I am confident however, that those statistics can improve. We need the private sector to provide the entrepreneurial spirit," Poe said.

At the same time, she emphasized the government's role in building an enabling environment to allow the private sector to pursue development.

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services in several past congresses, Poe authored a number of laws and bills that helped push the digital economy forward.

Poe pushed for the Better Internet Act, which requires all public telecommunications entities and ISPs in the country to increase service coverage and deliver a minimum standard for internet connection speed.

Poe also spearheaded and sponsored laws such as Republic Act 10929 or the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act.

This law aims to provide reliable and secure internet access in public places in the Philippines, promoting knowledge-building and citizen participation in the digital age.

Poe also helped steer the passage of RA 11659, which amended the decades-old Public Services Act.

This law liberalizes several sectors such as the telecommunications industry, allowing for greater participation of foreign investments.

The senator has also filed Senate Bill No. 864 or the Open Access in Internet Act to expedite the administrative process for the qualification and registration of Internet network and service providers, encourage infrastructure sharing and efficient deployment of Internet infrastructure, and promote the rights of end users.

Poe said she has also supported the grant of operating franchises to cable and internet operators such as Streamtech Systems Technologies (previously Planet Cable) under RA 11089; Pipol Broadband and Telecommunications Corporation under RA 109822; Reliance Broadcasting Unlimited Inc. under RA 10178; and Radius Telecom Inc. (previously Polaris Telecom) under RA 11841.

"Cable and internet service providers should ask themselves how technology can be used to improve the life of an ordinary Filipino," she said.

"The state of internet service in the Philippines shows there is a big room for improvement when it comes to accessibility, affordability, and reliability," Poe added.