Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL No. _______ 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by HONORABLE ERNESTO “ERNIX” M. DIONISIO, JR. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING ALL PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENTITIES AND INTERNET 
SERVICE PROVIDERS TO INCREASE SERVICE COVERAGE AND DELIVER A 
MINIMUM STANDARD FOR INTERNET CONNECTION SPEED 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The demand for reliable and accessible Internet services in the Philippines has 
never been more pronounced than in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the 
rapid shift to remote learning and telecommuting, we witnessed stories of teachers 
and students climbing roofs to get service1 or people struggling to attend an online 
meeting—proof of the difficulties of poor Internet coverage and quality of service.2  
With the economy irreversibly transformed by digitalization, Filipinos continue 
to clamor for better Internet services. A survey conducted by global IT firm Cisco 
showed 91% of workers believe the Philippines need dramatic improvements in 
Internet quality.3 A study by the United Nations and the World Bank also found 
evidence that primary students experienced slow or little progress in such basic skills 
as reading and comprehension, due in part to many households lacking Internet 
access and relying instead on paper-based modules.4  
While download speeds have gradually improved over the years, Ookla’s 
Speedtest Global Index as of April 2022 shows that Internet speed in the country is 
still among the slowest in ASEAN-6.5 Open signal, which also measures broadband 
performance, found that in January 2022 many Filipinos still experience poor data 
1 Lopez, E. (2021, January 7). Scaling roofs and mountains, Filipino students battle to take online classes. Reuters via 
Interaksyon. 
https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2021/01/07/183184/scaling-roofs-and-mountains-filipino-
students-battle-to-take-online-classes/  
2 Ochave, R. M. (2020, July 1). Filipinos struggle to work from home in Internet-challenged country. BusinessWorld. 
https://www.bworldonline.com/editors-picks/2020/07/01/302604/filipinos-struggle-to-work-from-home-in-Internet-challenged-
country/  
3 Gonzales, G. (2022, April 21). 91% of PH workers believe Internet infrastructure needs to improve faster – survey. Rappler. 
https://www.rappler.com/technology/workers-philippines-believe-Internet-infrastructure-needs-improve-faster-cisco-study/  
4 Baclig, C. E. (2022, April 8). When 10-year-olds can’t read: The dulling of PH education. Philippine Daily Inquirer. 
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1580203/when-10-year-olds-cant-read-the-dulling-of-ph-education  
5 Ookla Speedtest Global Index. (2022, April). https://www.speedtest.net/global-index  
October 7, 2022
9:00 am
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services, even with 4G and 5G,6 and experience slower speeds than advertised.7 Poor 
performance on other important measures of Internet service quality, such as upload 
speeds, latency, jitter, and packet loss, which affect the transmission of data also 
contribute to poor adoption of digital applications such as digital banking, telehealth, 
and eCommerce.8 
Global best practices emphasize the importance of creating rules to ensure that 
the service consumers receive is within an acceptable range of the advertised speeds, 
service reliability, and other measures of Internet quality.  
To institutionalize a mechanism for a comprehensive and regular measure of 
Internet quality of service in the Philippines, this bill aims to: 
•
Regularly monitor and analyze nationwide data on Internet connectivity and
formulate broadband development plans with the necessary policy to improve
Internet services;
•
Set minimum standards for broadband quality of service, such as reliability
(percentage of advertised speed consistently provided by an ISP to subscribers
over a given period of time) and minimum download speed (the lowest level of
download speed that service providers are allowed to deliver to a subscriber);
•
Enforce compliance to performance standards and penalize service providers
who consistently fail to deliver the acceptable level of broadband quality of
service; and
•
Promote the rights and welfare of broadband end users.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
6 Fenwick, S. (2022, April 5). Understanding mobile experience explains why users in the Philippines switch mobile operators. 
Opensignal. 
https://www.opensignal.com/2022/04/05/understanding-mobile-experience-explains-why-users-in-the-philippines-
switch-mobile-operators   
7 Camus, M. (2021, September 9) Dito defends Internet speed results after other tests show slowdown. 
https://business.inquirer.net/330380/dito-defends-Internet-speed-results-after-other-tests-show-slowdown  
8 Better Internet PH. (2021, September 15). Why Download Speed is Not Everything. https://medium.com/@betterInternetph/why-
download-speed-is-not-everything-e2e4f8f36665  


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL No. _______ 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by HONORABLE ERNESTO “ERNIX” M. DIONISIO, JR. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AN ACT 
REQUIRING ALL PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENTITIES AND INTERNET 
SERVICE PROVIDERS TO INCREASE SERVICE COVERAGE AND DELIVER A 
MINIMUM STANDARD FOR INTERNET CONNECTION SPEED 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled. 
Section 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Better Internet Act". 
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State recognizes the importance of 
technological advancements in nation-building, economic, and promoting people's 
well-being and as such, it endeavors to ensure the provision of strategic, reliable, cost-
efficient, and citizen-centric information and communication technology (ICT) 
infrastructure, systems, and resources to guarantee that the population has access to 
quality, and affordable ICT services. 
In line with this, the State shall ensure that all Public Telecommunications 
Entities (PTEs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will continuously upgrade their 
facilities and improve their services to be responsive to the growing demand for quality 
Internet access services. 
Section 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act, the following terms are 
defined as follows: 
a) Bandwidth shall refer to the data transfer rate or the amount of data that can be
carried from one point to another in a given time period expressed in bits per
second or multiples of it;
b) Broadband shall refer to high-speed Internet service that is always on and faster
than traditional dial-up access transmitted through various wired or wireless
data transmission technologies such as, but not limited to, digital subscriber line
(DSL), cable modem, fiber optic cable, fixed wireless, satellite, cellular mobile,
5449


and TV white space, and other evolving and emerging technologies as may be 
developed in the future; 
 
c) Cellular towers shall refer to passive telecommunication tower infrastructure, 
including, but not limited to, (i) three-legged or four-legged structures, (ii) poles, 
or (iii) mast, or (iv) similar infrastructure used to support mobile cellular network 
facilities; 
 
d) Compliance period shall refer to the first two (2) years from the effectivity of this 
Act within which all ISPs and PTEs are required to comply with the minimum 
broadband download speeds set forth in this act; 
 
e) Greenfield service area refers to a barangay where an internet service provider 
is completely absent or that has an internet connection but does not reach an 
average minimum broadband speed of two (2) megabits per second (mbps), or 
as prescribed by the dict, whichever is higher; 
 
f) Internet Service Providers or ISP shall refer to an entity, with or without A 
Congressional franchise, registered as A value-added service (VAS) provider 
from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to build, install, 
operate, and maintain an internet network in order to offer Internet access 
services to the public for compensation; 
 
g) Jitter shall refer to the variation of an end-to-end delay from one packet to the 
next within the same packet stream, connection, or flow; 
 
h) Latency shall refer to the time it takes for a packet of data to get from a source 
to a destination; 
 
i) Packet shall refer to the unit of data that is routed between an origin or source 
and a destination on the Internet or any other packet-switched network; 
 
j) Packet Loss shall refer to the number of packets that does not reach the 
destination; 
 
k) Service Reliability or "Uptime" refers to the delivery of a certain percentage of 
advertised speed to a subscriber over a given time. 
 
l) Public Telecommunications Entity or PTEs shall refer to any person, firm, 
partnership or corporation, government or private, engaged in the provision of 
telecommunications services to the public for compensation; 
 
m) National ICT Household Plan refers to the plan for the improvement of ICT 
access and use, including broadband access, by households and individuals 
developed by the Department of Information Communications Technology 
(DICT) on the basis of information gathered from the National ICT Household 
Survey; 
 


n) Threshold Speed refers to the minimum upload and download speeds that an 
ISP OR PTE must provide to their end user as an entry-level broadband 
service; 
 
o) Unserved Area refers to a specific population or land area of a city/municipality 
where broadband access service is not available, as identified by the National 
ICT Household Plan; and 
 
p) Underserved Area refers to a specific population or land area of a 
city/municipality where broadband access service is covered and available, but 
below the threshold speed. The underserved areas shall be identified by the 
National ICT Household Plan while the threshold speed shall be determined by 
this Act and, subsequently, by the NTC. 
 
Section 4. Increase in service coverage. – The NTC shall require all ISPs 
and PTEs to extend and expand the service coverage of wired and wireless broadband 
service in all unserved and underserved areas in the Philippines within two (2) years 
from the effectivity of this Act (the "Compliance Period"), according to the schedule 
and strategy to be set forth by the DICT in the National ICT Household Plan. 
 
The DICT shall develop the National ICT Household Plan, identify therein 
unserved and underserved areas [in the Philippines] and devise a plan of action to 
ensure Internet services shall be made available at the household level. The DICT 
shall make such Information and plans public within sixty (60) days from the effectivity 
of this Act; Provided, that subject to regulatory requirements, ISPs shall be allowed to 
own, establish, and operate wired and wireless networks, utilizing any available 
technology, in order to meet their obligations under this Act. ISPs shall be allowed 
access to unlicensed radio spectrum necessary to enable them to utilize wireless 
technologies to provide Internet service: Provided further, that ISPs shall not build 
international carrier. Inter-exchange carrier, local exchange carrier, and mobile radio 
telephone networks reserved for PTEs, as provided for In Republic Act No. 7925, 
otherwise known as the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines. 
 
Section 5. Delivery of advertised speed - Within one (1) year from the 
effectivity of this act, the national telecommunications commission (NTC) is hereby 
mandated to require all PTES and ISPS to only advertise and offer internet service 
download speeds that they can consistently provide and work towards providing an 
average internet connection speed above global average. PTES and ISPS shall 
deliver eighty (80) percent of the advertised broadband speed to their subscribers at 
eighty (80) percent service reliability or eighty (80) percent of the time: provided, that 
the entry-level broadband connection speed offered by ISPS or PTES to subscribers 
shall not be lower than the following: 
a) Twenty (20) megabits per second (Mbps) for wired broadband and ten (10) 
Mbps for wireless broadband in metropolitan cities; 
b) Ten (10) Mbps for wired broadband and five (5) Mbps for wireless broadband 
in all other cities; and 
c) Five (5) Mbps for wired broadband and two (2) Mbps wireless in rural areas. 
 
PTEs and ISPs shall have two (2) years from the effectivity of this Act to ensure 
that they provide, as a minimum, the threshold speeds to their end-users; Provided, 


That PTES and ISPS that will expand coverage and offer internet services in 
“greenfield service areas” or previously unserved and underserved areas, as identified 
by the DICT, shall not be subjected to the minimum download speed for the next five 
(5) years. 
 
The NTC shall conduct a regular review of technological advancements in the 
field of communications and data transmission to determine the necessity of adjusting 
the minimum speed standards hereby set in this act; Provided, That internet speed 
and service reliability of internet connections delivered by service providers shall be 
measured based on the methodology prescribed by the NTC. 
 
After the end of the compliance period, it shall be considered a violation of this 
Act, subject to the penalties provided in Sec. 15 of this Act, to offer paid Internet service 
below the threshold speed. For the avoidance of doubt, there shall be no minimum 
speed required for free Internet service; Provided, however, that service provided 
under the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act or RA 10929 shall meet the 
minimum speeds prescribed therein or in the relevant rules of the DICT for free Internet 
service programs. 
 
Section 6. Measurement and Publication of Broadband Quality of Service 
(QOS). – In order to monitor and enforce compliance of PTEs and ISPs, the NTC shall: 
a) In coordination with DICT, prescribe a criteria and methodology for the 
measurement and publication of broadband quality of service, including 
parameters such as download speed, upload speed, latency, packet loss, jitter, 
and service availability, with appropriate benchmarks, after public consultation 
and hearings within six (6) months from the effectivity of this act; 
 
b) Provide the public a mechanism to run broadband diagnostics in a secure and 
consumer-friendly format; 
 
c) Develop a procedure for collecting and analyzing broadband QOS 
measurements from various platforms and processing test data in a central 
database, which shall update and release results every twenty-four (24) hours, 
at the least; 
 
d) Make publicly available on the NTC website and other media the criteria and 
methodology for the broadband QOS measurement tool and the list of platforms 
using the NTC-prescribed broadband measurement mechanism; 
 
e) After the two-year compliance period, review compliance of PTES and ISPS 
with the minimum download speeds and prescribe and upgrade on an annual 
basis, the minimum broadband download speed and quality of service (QOS) 
standards, on internet industry to ensure that performance standards shall, at 
a minimum, be at par with service levels established in regional data network 
performance indices and aligned with international best practices. Such QOS 
standards shall take into account speed, packet loss, jitter, latency, and service 
availability; Provided, that the NTC shall not decrease the minimum speeds set 
forth in this act. Provided, further, that new performance standards shall be 
published at least thirty (30) days before they take effect. 
 


f) Diligently monitor and conduct monthly network audits and/or QOS tests in 
order to ensure compliance of the PTEs and ISPs with threshold speeds, 
advertised speeds, and coverage obligations, and publish its network audit 
report on a monthly basis; and, 
 
 
g) Publish the results of all the NTC’s network audits, broadband QOS tests, and 
the results of the consumer broadband QOS tests on their official website and 
social media accounts on a monthly basis, and furnish a copy of the same to 
the DICT. Such reports should be in a format that can easily be analyzed by 
third-party data scientists. 
 
 
Section 7. Responsibilities of the DICT. – In addition to responsibilities 
imposed in other sections of this Act, the DICT shall: 
a) Maintain and make public a National ICT Assets Index (NICTAI), which shall be 
updated on an annual basis, in order to provide accurate data on broadband 
coverage and ICT adoption and utilization in the country; 
 
b) Conduct the National ICT Household Survey and publish the National ICT 
Household Plan every three (3) years, and identify unserved and underserved 
areas for purposes of this Act; 
 
c) Regularly review and update ICT policy guidelines, strategies and plans, 
including, but not limited to, the National Broadband Plan to ensure that the 
Philippines' Internet service policy framework is at par with global standards 
and best practices; and 
 
d) Ensure the delivery of Internet services at the household level through a 
schedule and plan of action that includes, but is not limited to, infrastructure 
sharing and co-location arrangements; 
 
Section 8. Responsibilities of the NTC. – In addition to responsibilities 
imposed in other sections of this Act, the NTC shall: 
a) Ensure that PTEs and ISPs meet the minimum standards regarding connection, 
reception, just pricing, and billing practices to promote and protect the rights of 
consumers of Internet services; 
 
b) Determine whether the ICT industry has built out the optimal number of towers 
and other infrastructure necessary to meet the objectives of this law; 
 
c) Promulgate an efficient and expeditious administrative process for the 
registration of Internet service providers and shall, in coordination with the 
DICT, develop a set of criteria for qualifying service providers that will 
encourage the widest possible participation of as many industry players as 
possible who will build the necessary internet network Infrastructure and offer 
Internet services to end users in different parts of the country and will take 
national security into consideration, particularly for facilities that interface 
directly with another country's domestic network; 
 


d) Publish a spectrum management policy framework that promotes a 
transparent, efficient, and equitable approach to distributing spectrum, 
including clear guidelines for: (i) recalling unutilized spectrum, (ii) reassigning 
spectrum for more efficient use, and (iii) implementing an open frequency 
approach to expand Internet access in underserved and unserved areas, to be 
developed together with the DICT and the Philippine Competition Commission; 
 
e) Provide the public with annual reports on the performance of PTEs and ISPs in 
terms of increasing Internet coverage and meeting the threshold download 
speeds; 
 
f) Provide policies and standards of network elements to ensure that PTEs and 
ISPs will maintain the Quality of Service (QOS) of the Internet connection they 
provide to their respective area of coverage; 
 
g) Provide for an expeditious mechanism to address consumer complaints on 
slow Internet speed and false advertising of Internet speeds; and, 
 
h) Establish an efficient monitoring system or framework with regard to the PTEs 
and ISPs' management of consumer complaints and maintain records of 
subscribers' complaints. 
 
Section 9. Reports to Congress. – The DICT and NTC shall submit a quarterly 
progress report to Congress of all acts performed pursuant to this Act during the first 
week [of] AFTER the immediately preceding quarter for the next two (2) years from 
the effectivity of this act. 
 
 
Section 10. Streamlining Permitting Requirements. – The DICT and other 
relevant government agencies including, but not limited to, the Department of Interior 
and Local  Government (DILG), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), 
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), Anti-Red tape 
Authority (ARTA), Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Department of 
Health (DOH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall ensure the 
streamlining of the permitting process for the construction, installation, and operation 
of telecommunications tower and other infrastructure such as, but not limited to, 
permits for base stations, cables, poles, and other work elements necessary to offer 
Internet service.  
 
The DICT shall set up a one-stop shop that shall coordinate with other 
regulatory agencies regarding the permitting requirements and applicable regulatory 
fees for installing common towers, cables, poles, and other network elements in order 
to facilitate the attainment of the objectives of this Act. 
 
To facilitate the expeditious planning of the country’s ict infrastructure, all ptes and 
isps are required to submit, within fifteen (15) working days upon the request of the 
DICT or the NTC, a copy of their most updated and complete broadband network map, 
enabling the government to draw up incentive plans and opportunities in order to boost 
internet service and compel the creation of the infrastructure essential for overall 
economic growth. 
 


 
Section 11. Rights of End-users. - The user of internet services shall have 
the following basic rights:     
a) To be entitled to internet service which is non-discriminatory, reliable, and 
conforms with minimum standards set by the NTC; 
 
b) To be rendered internet services within two (2) months from application for 
service, in areas where the service is advertised to be available; 
 
c) Timely correction of errors in billing or in prepaid load and the immediate 
provision of rebates or refunds by the service provider without the need for 
demand by the user; and 
 
d) Subject to the filing of a formal request to the service provider, a user may 
request the immediate termination of service without the imposition of fees or 
penalties, and with the refund of any fee or charge already paid by the user, 
should a service provider not consistently comply with preceding paragraphs 
(A), (C), (D), or any minimum performance standards set by the NTC. 
 
Section 12. Local Government Units (LGUs) as Partners in Broadband 
Infrastructure Development. – The LGU shall serve as a strategic partner who shall 
ensure that all LGU-related permits and requirements necessary to expand Internet 
coverage and improve the quality of Internet service shall be acted upon Immediately. 
In order to ensure that all municipalities and barangays have access to Internet 
facilities, an LGU shall be allowed to build and operate its own broadband network in 
partnership with PTEs and ISPs. 
 
Section 13. Infrastructure Sharing and Co-location. – 
a) The DICT shall promulgate policies, rules, and regulations, in coordination 
and/or jointly with the concerned national government agencies, government-
owned and operated corporations, and local government units, to ensure that 
infrastructure, whether existing or built in the future, necessary or capable of 
supporting data transmission networks or services are: 
 
i. 
mandatory for open access and made available for co-location and co-
use by the owner of network facilities, equipment, and infrastructure on 
an open, fair, and non-discriminatory basis to any access seeker's 
network facilities; 
ii. 
as far as possible, deployed together with roadworks, pipe-laying, and 
other Infrastructure development by both government and private 
entities; and 
iii. 
propagated in the most cost-efficient and timely manner through various 
means. Including encouraging the operation of independent entities that 
build and operate towers, dark fiber, and utility corridors, among other 
infrastructures that help facilitate broadband network deployment. 
 
b) The DICT shall, in coordination with the Philippine Competition Commission 
and other relevant government agencies, promulgate policies, rules, and 
regulations to ensure that buildings, condominiums, villages, towns, and 
subdivisions are all built with facilities, such as cable entrances, ducts, and 


risers, that allow non-discriminatory and non-exclusive access to multiple 
service providers, in order for PTEs and ISPs to provide Internet service; 
 
c) In case of a dispute arising from an infrastructure-sharing arrangement, the 
DICT shall: 
 
i. 
Coordinate with the regulator of the infrastructure; 
ii. 
Mediate between a PTE or ISP and an infrastructure owner, which may 
include a PTE, an ISP, or a public service network provider; and/or 
iii. 
Serve as the primary enforcer of this provision. 
 
d) The DICT shall encourage the use of existing infrastructure, such as those of 
cable TV operators, to fast-track the layout of networks, to increase coverage, 
and to address the problem of unserved and underserved areas; 
 
e) The regulator of the shared Infrastructure shall, in consultation with concerned 
stakeholders, determine and ensure reasonable rental rates for use of shared 
infrastructure such as, but not limited to, utility poles, utility corridors and ducts; 
and 
 
f) For shared infrastructure arrangements, the DICT shall also look into the 
following considerations: 
 
i. 
Technical feasibility of the request of access seeker to use infrastructure; 
ii. 
Incentives to encourage investment in less commercially viable areas; 
iii. 
Fair and reasonable rates for shared facilities, depending on the location 
and market size in a particular area. 
 
All policies, rules, and regulations under this Section shall be operationalized 
within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act. 
 
Section 14. Penalties. – The NTC may, motu proprio or upon complaint of any 
interested party, in the appropriate administrative and/or quasi-judicial process, and in 
accordance with due process, shall: 
a) Require any PTE or ISP, who shall not meet the requirements set forth under, 
or shall not comply with the provisions of this Act, to comply with service 
standards that have not been met, or provisions of this Act that have been 
violated; 
 
b) Impose upon entities who do not comply with Internet service standards as laid 
down by Sections 4, 5, and 8 of this Act and as prescribed by the NTC: 
 
i. 
The penalty of a fine of not less than two hundred thousand pesos 
(P200,000) but not more than two million pesos (P2,000,000.00) for 
each count of violation. Provided, that if a service provider has a gross 
annual income not exceeding Ten Million Pesos (PHP 10,000,000.00), 
the penalty shall be equivalent to one percent (1%) to two percent (2%) 
of its gross annual income; and 
ii. 
For repeated violations, revoke the PTE's Provisional Authority or 
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, or cancel the 


registration of an ISP, whichever applies, including the waiving of any 
pre-termination fees of affected subscribers and timely disbursement of 
any remaining credits from excessive downtime. 
 
The foregoing is without prejudice to any other remedies available to the NTC 
under existing law. 
 
Section 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) days 
after the effectivity of this Act, the DICT and the NTC shall issue a Joint Memorandum 
Circular setting forth the rules and regulations to effectively implement the provisions 
of this Act. 
 
Section 16. Separability Clause. – If any portion or provision of this Act is 
declared unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provisions not affected 
thereby shall remain in force and effect. 
 
Section 17. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, 
executive order, letter of instruction, rule or regulation inconsistent with the provisions 
of this Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
 
Section 18. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following 
its complete publication in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,