Group wants installation of internet to be lease-free

Consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines on Monday said the installation of broadband connectivity should not bear additional costs to internet providers.

CitizenWatch co-convenor Tim Abejo stressed that broadband link is now an essential tool that should be accessible to all individuals.

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

Citing figures of the Department of Information and Communication Technology for 2023, the group said that 65% of the population is still without internet access.

Meanwhile, it said that 767 buildings have accepted the zero-lease initiatives, with Makati having the highest number at 105, followed by Taguig at 91, and Quezon City with 57 under Globe Telecommunications.

In early April, an independent research organization also called for the revision of the National Building Code of the Philippines to address leasing fees.

In June 2023, the World Data Lab on the Internet Poverty Index showed at least 20 million Filipinos are “internet poor” or do not have the financial capacity to avail of at least 1 gigabyte (GB) of internet data per month.—Joahna Lei Casilao/AOL. GMA Integrated News