Tags: General News, Legislation
By Alexander Villafania
QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA – Representative Teddy Casiño (Party-list, Bayan Muna) is pushing hard to get House Bill 5653, otherwise known as the “Mobile Phone Subscribers Bill” to be passed.
The lawmaker claims that it is his quest to “fight for consumer rights.” Casiño also criticized mobile telecommunications providers for their refusal to implement guidelines set by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
Among these was the 20-centavo deduction in interconnection charges for text messages, which was supposed to be implemented last November 2011.
In addition, the telecommunications firms have failed to produce a system that would show a prepaid subscriber’s usage of their phone credits prior to the load being consumed or expired.
Casiño also stressed that telecommunications firms Globe Telecom and Smart Communications can offer “onerous charges” due to the lack of transparency of the cost of their mobile services.
He also scored the government’s failure to confront the alleged problem of “cartels” in the telecommunication industry that have affected consumer rights.
In particular, Casiño charged that NTC continues to avoid resolving the alleged irregularities of the telecommunications providers and only vaguely uses the provisions of Republic Act 7925 or the Public Telecommunications Policy Act, especially on deregulation.
“Prepaid subscribers often are left blind as to how their credits were consumed, if they were indeed consumed at all prior to the load expiration, which in itself is a dubious practice. Postpaid subscribers meanwhile bewail a lack of transparency on the charges levied against them as found in billing statements,” Casiño said in a statement.
The proposal also states that all telecommunications providers will have to file for a petition with the NTC for implementing changes in market pricing of basic mobile services.
The NTC would also set the minimum performance metrics for all services, including calls, SMS and Internet data.
The bill also prevents the expiry of unconsumed prepaid credits. For calls made for six seconds, the subscriber will only be charged one-tenth (1/10) of the usual minute charge.
The bill also seeks a breakdown of usage to prepaid subscribers seven days after the consumption of the last load. Unsolicited advertisements either through voice, text, or even data will be made illegal.
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