Nababahala ang Philippine Association of Private Telecommunications Companies (PAPTELCO) sa Konektadong Pinoy Bill kung saan binigyang-diin na maaapektuhan nito ang maliliit na telecommunications companies at tinawag itong anti-Filipino.
“The majority of the telecommunications companies in the Philippines are not big
players. There are small ones like us that will be the first to be affected by this if it
passes into law,” pagbibigay-diin ni PAPTELCO President Atty. Normandy Baldovino Jr.
“We play an important role in the ICT ecosystem, providing connectivity where the big telcos are not able to go. Just allowing foreign telcos to enter the Philippines is anti-Filipino,” dagdag pa niya.
Sinabi pa ni Baldovino na hindi isinaalang-alang ng mga mambabatas ang negatibong epekto ng pagpapahintulot sa anumang foreign telco na magtayo sa Pilipinas.
Naalarma ang grupo makaraang aprubahan ng Senado sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa ang nasabing bill matapos itong sertipikahang urgent ni Presidente Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Iginiit ni Senador Alan Peter Cayetano, may akda ng Senate Bill No. 2699, na ang Konektadong Pinoy bill ay naglalayong mapagbuti ang access sa mabilis at abot-kayang halaga ng internet sa buong bansa sa pag-aalis sa pangangailangan para sa legislative franchises, pagsusulong ng infrastructure sharing sa telecom companies, at pangangasiwa sa alokasyon at paggamit ng radio spectrums.
Ang PAPTELCO ay isang organisasyon ng independent telecommunications companies na nagkakaloob ng
connectivity sa mga liblib na lalawigan.
Nauna nang sinabi ng research firm Stratbase na ang “bill in its current form may expose us to more pitfalls and risks.”
“The law seeks to make it easier for investments in telecommunications to pour into the country, and part of this is to address the roadblocks that hinder the flow of investments. But in our zeal to encourage investments, it would be prudent to maintain the regulatory oversight of the NTC. Only it will keep telcos in line and will serve as the people’s recourse,” sabi ng Stratbase.
