IRR on streamlined telecom permits expected next month

THE implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Executive Order (EO) No. 32, which calls for the telecommunications permit process to be streamlined, are due for launch by the third week of September, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said on Wednesday. 

“The IRR of EO 32 is required to be formulated by the technical working group (TWG) within 60 working days upon the EO’s effectivity on July 5,” ARTA said in a statement.

ARTA is a member of the TWG.

“The TWG members expressed optimism that… the IRR will be finalized ahead of schedule and submitted to the Office of the President,” it added.

On July 4, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. issued EO 32, also known as “Streamlining the Permitting Process for the Construction of Telecommunications (telco) and Internet Infrastructure,” which is intended to accelerate the Philippines’ digital transformation.

On Aug. 17, ARTA met with the other members of the TWG and consulted with stakeholders to finalize the IRR.

ARTA said that the TWG members tasked to complete the draft are the National Telecommunications Commission and the Departments of Public Works and Highways, and Interior and Local Government.

“The IRR provides the specific procedures to be followed by all regulating government agencies and local government units and outlines the requirements that must be complied in applications for constructing, operating, repairing, and maintaining telco and internet infrastructures,” it said.

“This is not just about making it easier to build telco infrastructure. It is about creating an environment where communication knows no bounds and technological progress becomes an accessible reality for all,” ARTA Secretary Ernesto V. Perez said in a statement.

In Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index in July, the Philippines ranked 89^th with a mobile internet speed measurement of 25.88 megabytes per second (mbps), four places lower than its rank last month and last year. 

In fixed broadband, the Philippines ranked 49^th with a median speed of 91.56 mbps, two places down from a month and a year earlier. — Justine Irish D. Tabile