Telcos: Lower Regulatory Fees to Bring Down Internet Costs

If the government is serious in lowering internet prices by half by 2028, reducing regulatory fees that would trim business costs and, in the process, consumer rates, should be on the table, telecommunication companies said.

- By Elijah Felice Rosales

The Philippine Chamber of Telecommunication Operators (PCTO) said slashing regulatory charges such as the spectrum user fees (SUF) would make connectivity services cheaper.

PCTO vice president Roy Ibay said the group supports the goal of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to lower internet prices by 30 to 50 percent by 2028.

However, Ibay said this has to be complemented by the reduction of regulatory fees, from the local to the national, collected from telcos. Without this, Ibay warned it would be difficult to bring down the cost of delivering connectivity to consumers.

PCTO wants DICT to reconsider the SUF slapped by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on telcos. Ibay said the industry pays at least P6 billion annually to the NTC for the volume of spectrum that providers use to serve their subscribers.