Better Internet Connectivity for More Filipinos: Konektadong Pinoy Act Now a Law

A bill that allows new internet service providers to operate in the Philippines without requiring a legislative franchise lapsed on August 24, 2025. 

According to a report, Palace Press Undersecretary Claire Castro confirmed that the bill became law after lapsing without President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s signature. The President neither signed nor vetoed the bill within 30 days of receiving it.

Known as the Konektadong Pinoy Act, or the Open Access in Data Transmission Act, it aims to streamline licensing procedures and encourage infrastructure sharing.

Moreover, it allows new and smaller players to invest in broadband and data transmission facilities without requiring a congressional franchise, resulting in a policy reform that would allow better connectivity for many Filipinos. 

Last February, Senate Bill No.2699 or the “Konektadong Pinoy Act” came into passage. By March 2025, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Assistant Secretary Renato A. Paraiso spoke of the bill at the University of the Philippines Law Center in Quezon City to discuss potential solutions to bring millions of Filipinos online. 

In June 2025, Congress gave consent to the bill which was then forwarded to President Marcos Jr. the following month. 

In 2024, households with internet access increased to 48.8% (13.56 million) from 17.7 % in 2019, according to the 2024 National Information and Communications Technology Household Survey (NICTHS) in collaboration with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and DICT. 

Meanwhile, two in every three individuals aged 10 years and above use the internet: Fixed Wired Broadband Network is the commonly available type of connection (58.8%); Mobile Broadband Network (39.3 %); Fixed Wireless Broadband Network (11.6 %); and Satellite Broadband Network (2.2 %) as the least available type of connection. 

Households in the National Capital Region (68.7 %) and Central Luzon (61.3%) had the highest percentages with access to the internet in their homes. 

However, Zamboanga Peninsula (21.2 %) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) (27.7 %) had the lowest percentages. 

Critics have deemed the previously required legislative franchises “outdated.” In the past, internet connectivity providers had to secure one or had to acquire a certificate of public convenience and necessity in the country. 

With the new law, competition among telcos will reduce the burden of internet costs both for business organizations and households. 

Over a thousand internet providers are expected to enter the market, giving more options for consumers. 

For one, satellite internet provider Starlink, a foreign company operated and owned by Elon Musk, has taken interest in entering the growing broadband market. 

Safeguards for Cybersecurity

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda assured the public that the new law would not compromise the country’s cybersecurity.

In addition, he will gather stakeholders to draft the law’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR) to protect consumers.

Converge ICT Solutions Inc. CEO Dennis Uy stressed the need for the appropriate regulatory framework to be in place under the IRR in a statement on August 25.

“The last thing we want is for consumers to suffer from substandard offers. We need strong, clear, and enforceable rules that guarantee an equal playing field,” Uy said.

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