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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Friday, March 10, 2017
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MANILA – Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV believes the National Broadband Plan must be subject to scrutiny.
He asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to present the plan to stakeholders, experts and other concerned groups.
Aquino, chairman of the committee on science and technology, said this would help develop an “effective” and successful broadband plan.
President Rodrigo Duterte approved the plan during a Cabinet meeting on Monday.
“Masaya tayo’t inaprubahan na ng pamahalaan ang National Broadband Plan na makatutulong upang mapaganda ang kalidad at mapalawak ang sakop ng internet sa bansa,” said Aquino.
Aquino said his committee will hold a hearing where the DICT can provide the details.
The department will release the final National Broadband Plan by the second quarter. The project will take two to three years to complete.
In 2016 the DICT presented three options in implementing the P75-billion plan, including its preference to invest in internet infrastructure such as fiber optic cables in remote or difficult-to-reach areas.
“Under this option, the government will also use the existing infrastructure of current players while encouraging new players to develop new internet infrastructure,” the senator further said.
Aquino is the principal sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1277, or the “Free Internet Access in Public Places Act.”
The measure seeks to provide all national and local government offices, public schools, public transport terminals, public hospitals, and public libraries free access to the internet./PN
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