Telecommunication companies on Thursday urgently called on the government to make final revisions to the Konektadong Pinoy Act before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs the legislation into law.
They flagged concerns over regulatory gaps and unfair market conditions.
The Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO) is calling on the national government to revise key provisions of the recently ratified Konektadong Pinoy Act, warning that the landmark digital connectivity bill—while well-intentioned—may expose the country to cybersecurity threats, regulatory loopholes and uneven market competition.
In a statement, the PCTO, which represents the country’s leading telcos, expressed “serious concern” over the final version of the bill passed by the bicameral conference committee and now awaiting President Marcos’ signature.
“We support the goal of expanding connectivity to all Filipinos,” PCTO President and Globe Telecom General Counsel Froilan Castelo said.
“However, the bill lowers the bar for accountability and opens the country to risks tied to unregulated infrastructure and potential foreign control,” he said.
At the heart of the PCTO’s objections is the removal of requirements for new data transmission entities to obtain a legislative franchise or a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN)—long-standing prerequisites for assessing a telco’s legal, financial, technical and cybersecurity readiness.
“This creates a two-tier system,” Castelo said.
“Existing players remain subject to full regulation, while new entrants operate with fewer checks. That’s a national security concern and a fairness issue,” he stressed.
The chamber also criticized a provision exempting direct satellite access services from any form of registration or authorization with either the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) or the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
The chamber said this provision contradicts the bill’s own principle of technology neutrality under Section 19.
“You cannot claim to be technology-neutral and at the same time give one technology a free pass,” Castelo said.
“The provision requiring satellite operators to apply for NTC spectrum use was removed in the final version. That opens a dangerous backdoor,” he said.
Another major concern is the bill’s allowance of a two-year grace period for new players to comply with national and international cybersecurity standards, an exception the PCTO says is ill-suited to today’s threat landscape.
“Delaying compliance with security protocols at a time of escalating cyberattacks is not just risky—it’s reckless,” the chamber stated.
Additionally, the law includes no obligation for new entrants to provide services to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), which raises fears that new players may concentrate solely on high-density urban centers, further widening the digital divide.
The PCTO also warned against enacting sweeping reforms without vigorous consultation and stakeholder input, drawing a comparison to the controversial rollout of the POGO law, which later faced backlash due to oversight gaps.
“We’ve seen what happens when laws are rushed and under-vetted,” Castelo said.
“We cannot afford another case where legislative gaps create bigger problems down the road,” he added.
With the bill now on the president’s desk, the PCTO is urging the administration to undertake a comprehensive review before enacting the measure and to ensure that its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) include strong, enforceable guardrails.
“We call for IRRs that promote true digital inclusion, protect national security, and ensure a level playing field,” Castelo stressed.
“We need a law that supports innovation while upholding fairness and accountability in a rapidly evolving industry,” he said.
