CONGRESS has tripled the funding for the Free Wi-Fi for All Program to P7.5 billion, with the goal of eventually increasing to 50,000 the number of public “hotspots” where Filipinos can enjoy password-free access to the internet, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. announced on Tuesday.
“In the 2025 General Appropriations Law, we earmarked P7.5 billion for the Free Wi-Fi for All Program. This amount is three times the P2.5-billion allocation for the program in 2024,” said Campos, vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations.
“We are counting on the expansion of free Wi-Fi hotspots to improve public access to online learning and distance education, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” Campos added.
Campos also expressed his high hopes that the free internet connections would help Filipinos in rural communities access valuable online resources, including government skills training services, which could assist them in securing new employment and livelihood opportunities.
Meanwhile, Campos renewed his call for Congress to pass a new law that would enable regulators to compel private telecommunications companies (telcos) to deliver faster mobile internet speeds.
“We need faster mobile internet speeds to boost productivity. Slow internet speeds result in productivity loss,” Campos, the husband of Makati Mayor Abby Binay, said.
Campos is running for Makati mayor in the May 12 mid-term elections, while his wife is seeking a Senate seat.
Ookla’s December 2024 Global Speedtest Index report showed that the Philippines’ average mobile internet speed remains sluggish at 36.36 megabits per second (Mbps) — significantly below those of its Southeast Asian peers, such as Thailand (65.47 Mbps), Vietnam (86.96 Mbps), Malaysia (105.36 Mbps), and Singapore (129.13 Mbps).
Campos has been advocating for the passage of his House Bill No. 10215, which seeks to classify high-speed internet as a basic telecommunications service to which every Filipino has a right of access, rather than a value-added service.
The reclassification would empower the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to set rising minimum mobile internet speed targets that telcos must meet within prescribed deadlines.
Telcos failing to meet the minimum speed targets would face fines of up to P1 million per day, or P365 million per year, until they achieve compliance.
metrosundaily
