Nowadays, the internet connects almost every aspect of a person’s life, from finance to education. Because of that, governments all over the world have implemented some kind of subsidized or, in some cases, free connectivity option to provide free access to the internet.
The PH government’s answer?
The Philippine government sought to do just that with Pipol Konek, the country’s free Wi-Fi program, which was launched in 2018. It was the direct answer to the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act that was put into law a year before.
The plan was to install Wi-Fi access points in public places such as parks, plazas, government offices, hospitals, and every public space where individual traffic is abundant. However, the plan is not without challenges. Connection can be sometimes spotty or downright unstable, and concerns about its security are quite shady.
While the plan is noble, it is quite inefficient considering most of the places where Pipol Konek is deployed are being poorly maintained. And on top of that, it’s costing the government and the taxpayers quite a fortune. Approximately ₱6.5 billion a year is spent to maintain the 7,000 locations nationwide.
What’s next?
DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy lamented the program’s inefficiencies and sought to do a comprehensive evaluation before restructuring the program. One proposed solution involves a partnership with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite providers, which will vastly enhance connectivity at a lower cost.
Discussions are already underway with plans of an aggregated 200 Mbps of internet bandwidth to 10,000 schools at an annual cost of ₱1.5 billion in a 10-year span. Apart from the satellite plan, there are also talks of allocating resources toward an expanded network coverage.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed the DICT to allocate ₱5 billion to the “SIM Card ng Bayan Project,” a plan that aims to subsidize the construction of new cell towers. The plan will also provide free 25GB internet subscriptions to areas where the current program doesn’t reach.
We’re definitely hoping for the plan to succeed, especially after the current government’s pivot to the digitalization of most government institutions.
What do you think?