Gov’t urged to remove ‘bureaucratic barriers’ to telco expansion

CitizenWatch Philippines, a consumer advocacy group, is urging the government to “demolish bureaucratic barriers” that continue to hinder the expansion of much-needed digital infrastructure as the new coronavirus pandemic forces more people to rely on the internet.

“This should be among the top priorities in the government’s recovery strategy,” CitizenWatch convenor Orlando Oxales said in a statement.

For one, he said the government should fully enforce the Ease of Doing Business law. Despite legislation, telco operators said the construction of a single cell site still takes several months and dozens of permits.

It said the government should “rationalize the permitting and certification requirements imposed on all telco projects.”

Moreover, national and local governments should also follow to the seven-day limit on permits prescribed in the recently released Department of Information and Communication Technology’s tower sharing rules.

“This is the time to wield the political will of this government to permanently resolve the frustrating reality of long and circuitous bureaucratic gauntlets that civil works contractors of telco projects must go through, causing months of delays and unnecessary costs before construction can even start,” Oxales said. INQ