Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–A party-list lawmaker filed a bill seeking to lower the cost of mobile phone services.
Kabataan party-list Representative Terry L. Ridon filed House Bill 4380 which will abolish the interconnection fees for mobile phone services saying that “the telecommunication companies have already recouped their expenses for infrastructure and equipment that enable interconnectivity.”
Ridon also said that the abolition of the interconnection fees will lower mobile phone services without harming the economic viability of telecommunication companies.
The bill directs telecommunication companies to charge a standard rate of fees for mobile phone services following the regulations set by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
The bill will also mandate companies to issue a petition to the NTC before imposing any price adjustment.
The lawmaker cited a National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Memorandum Circular No. 02-10-2011 charging an interconnection fee of not more than P0.15 centavos per text. Ridon alleged that telecommunication companies have been ignoring this memorandum issued by the commission.
Moreover, the proposed legislation will enable NTC to impose sanctions and penalties for telecommunication firms which will not follow the regulations set by the commission.
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