Free Wi-Fi pushed

Agri party-list Rep. Delphine Gan Lee. congress.gov.ph/

MANILA, Philippines—Why linger in expensive coffee shops for the free Wi-Fi?

A lawmaker is pushing for a municipality-based broadband system that would ensure free and reliable Internet access for all.

Agri party-list Rep. Delphine Gan Lee has filed House Bill No. 4741, or the Wi-Fi Act of 2013, mandating the National Computer Center to establish a wireless network at the municipal level to serve the estimated 33 million Internet users in the Philippines.

“In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is considered the fastest-growing Internet audience and Filipinos are more likely to browse a social networking site compared to the rest of the world,” Lee said in a statement.

Lee envisions the deployment of routers in all cities and municipalities to create what she called high-speed and low-cost Internet access.—Gil C. Cabacungan