New DICT chief instructed to promote digitalization and better Internet
“Digitalization of transactions, faster Internet speed, and more accessible Internet” — these are the marching orders of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. to incoming secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology Ivan John Enrile Uy.
According to a report by The Manila Times, DICT secretary-designate Ivan Uy said that digitalizing transactions would not only make processes faster but “can increase government revenue and do away with red tape.”
Uy would know a thing or two about digitalization. As former chief information officer and director of the management information systems office of the Supreme Court, he was reported to have spearheaded modernization initiatives under Justices Hilario Davide, Jr. and Artemio Panganiban.
According to the CIO Forum, where Uy onced served as president, the incoming DICT secretary specializes in applying technology to the law, justice, and government institutions. He is also an expert in computer forensics, cybercrime, electronic evidence, e-commerce, and digital ethics.
Increasing Internet speed seems a fair ask, but not if we considered the limitations imposed by outdated policies. While there are several options within the National Capital Region, metropolitan centers, and highly urbanized areas, Filipinos outside these zones mostly rely on mobile data, whose quality depends on cell site density. In far-flung communities where wireless Internet would be the most cost-efficient, radio spectrum is not made available to non-telco Internet service providers.
Fiber broadband services do exist in areas where cable TV providers operate. However, current laws impose cumbersome and costly requirements (a franchise from Congress and certificate of public convenience and necessity) before a service provider is allowed to build a broadband network. Income levels of people in the rural areas also affect the data plan that can be sold in those communitiies.
Making Internet more accessible even in far-flung areas was a gap addressed by outgoing President Duterte when he issued Executive Order №127 for inclusive access to satellite broadband. Hopefully, spectrum regulation is aligned with the objective of this policy. Satellite broadband can connect end users even in remote rural areas where the satellite in orbit has a footprint or coverage and as long as there is line of sight between the ground terminal and the satellite system. Hopefully, satellite operators can start offering competitive services soon. But the benefits can be expanded to other networks through policy reforms such as the Open Access in Data Transmission bill.
Digital connectivity is the foundation of digitalization. So if the marching orders would be ranked based on priority, Internet access should come first, then reliable and consistent quality of services. Only with these two in place will digitalization become possible.
