Senator Grace Poe said Monday Dito Telecommunity Corp. must first prove it is capable of fulfilling the terms of its obligations and meet end-user expectations before its franchise is renewed.
“They have not proven anything yet. Why would they be immediately given a franchise?” Poe said.
“Service first before franchise,” added Poe, the head of the Senate committee on public services who recently challenged the third telco to roll out its services in unserved and underserved areas.
Dito had previously committed to serving 7,435 villages on its first year of application with a minimum speed of 27 mbps.
“Titingnan at susuriin natin kung talagang nabigyan ba nila ng mabilis na internet ang mga lugar na dapat bigyan ng serbisyo. Hindi naman basta-basta nagbibigay lang ng prangkisa dahil nag-apply,” said Poe who proposed for Dito’s service to be also evaluated by the end-users themselves, aside from an independent auditor.
Dito’s franchise will not expire until 2023, but is getting a headstart as early as now, which Poe says is normal and understandable especially when it wants to welcome new investors and make current ones feel secure.
“I also want Dito to be successful. But it is not the government’s role to bend to meet the telco halfway just so it could have the needed assurance early on. It’s a prerequisite for applicants to have the capital ready before making any promises of their service,” Poe said.
Dito’s partnership with China Telecommunications Corp. also had some members of the Senate worried about cybersecurity issues.
The committee is waiting for a report by the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s cybersecurity group regarding such threats.
Poe said should there be threats to the nation’s cybersecurity, any telco found to be in collusion with the offenders could easily have its franchise withdrawn.
Poe also said that a joint hearing would be held by the Senate committee on public services and national defense to tackle issues on cybersecurity.
“The hearing on cybersecurity will be separate because it is extensive,” Poe said.