DICT backs refund bill for telco customers

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced its support for a bill that would require telecommunications and internet service providers to refund customers for service outages and interruptions.

Senate Bill No. 2092, seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7925, or the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines.

Should it pass, covered companies must provide refund credits or adjust a customer’s bill for service disruptions of 24 hours or more “on a prorated basis.” The refund will also apply to subscribers using prepaid plans.

“DICT supports responsible delivery of telco services to Filipinos. It is only just and necessary that Filipinos get the quality of service they pay for,” Information and Communications Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said in a statement.

The telcos have previously pointed to cumbersome regulations that have hindered the rollout of crucial infrastructure.

The DICT said it recognized these challenges and had encouraged the construction of shared cell towers and reduced bottlenecks in the permitting process.

PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom said they were each targeting to build up to 2,000 new cell towers this year to address congestion in their mobile networks and cater to increasing demand for data services.