[Vantage Point] Konektadong Pinoy: What’s the buzz?

If Konektadong Pinoy’s open-access rules are enacted with strong — but not paralyzing — security and consumer safeguards, the ‘everyday’ effects are tangible: slightly cheaper plans, more reliable service in more places, and real options beyond the Big Two telcos

In his 1962 book The Gutenberg Galaxy, Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan saw the world shrinking into a global village. He argued then that with the advent of electronic media, particularly television, electronic connectivity was making the world smaller, but nonetheless richer. 

I would be the first to acknowledge that, in this era, McLuhan’s theory rings even louder. Bridging the digital divide through the internet has become as essential as electricity, water, or public transport. From online learning and telemedicine to small businesses thriving on e-commerce, the benefits of unbridled access to the internet have become a necessity to progress. 

Here lies the basic foundation of “Konektadong Pinoy”: a fully connected Philippines could unleash, enhance, and sustain the creativity and productivity of millions of Filipinos.

What exactly is  “Konektadong Pinoy”?

It is the proposed “open access in data transmission” law meant to make it easier and cheaper for more players — not just the big telecommunications companies (telcos) — to build and operate internet infrastructure. It pushes infrastructure-sharing, streamlines permits, and welcomes newer technologies, such as low-Earth-orbit satellites (LEO), with Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) oversight and performance standards. The Senate passed the bill on third reading in February 2025. It is a Marcos administration priority, with the current debate centering on how the final law and Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) will look.

By forcing more competition in the “middle mile” (referring to the networks that move data between cities and international gateways) and requiring infra-sharing, “Konektadong Pinoy” aims to cut operators’ costs — which typically show up in our monthly billings. DICT projects price relief as more entrants come online.

Open access plus clearer rules for satellite gateways will allow providers to deploy fiber where feasible and LEO satellites where fiber is impractical: in islands, mountains, and disaster zones, for example. That means barangays with spotty or zero coverage today will finally be able to enjoy usable broadband suitable for e-learning, telehealth, electronic government services (e-gov), and small-business point of sale (POS). 

Shared ducts, poles, and towers cut the duplication that slows repairs and rollouts. Streamlined permits reduce local government unit (LGU) bottlenecks that often stall work for months. This means that the next time a backhoe cuts a fiber line, there will be shortened restoration windows for average households in the affected area because multiple providers can access shared facilities. 

When a middle-mile access opens, small internet service providers (ISPs), cooperatives, and even schools can wholesale capacity and retail it locally. We can expect community ISPs and campus networks to become more viable outside Metro Manila, improving competition for last-mile plans and prepaid data. 

Today, despite high usage, affordability and reach still lag. Stakeholder groups note that tens of millions still can’t afford a basic telco package, and rural gaps persist even as the digital economy grows. This is the hole that “Konektadong Pinoy” seeks to fill. 

Industry pushback 

Incumbents warn that the bill tilts too far toward data-only players and could distort incentives; they’ve urged changes or a veto/return to Congress. The latest reporting shows that telcos are preparing to question the IRR if the measure becomes law. 

Former DICT officials and some analysts caution about foreign-controlled operators at cable landing stations and satellite gateways. They want legally explicit vetting, not just IRR safeguards. DICT says cybersecurity oversight remains “non-negotiable.” The final text and IRR will decide how tight the guardrails are. 

Consumer protection vs. red tape: The more exacting the standards and audits, the network will be safer, but the rollout will be slower. Striking the balance in the IRR is crucial so we don’t swap today’s bottlenecks for tomorrow’s gridlocks. (DICT and civil society have both been engaging on this.) 

What this means on any day in 2026–2028

• For a student in a 5th-class municipality: A blended setup — community fiber backhauled to a shared middle-mile link, with a satellite backup — could make Google Classroom and Zoom reliable during monsoon weeks. 

• For the family of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW): Remittances go a bit further, if home internet is ₱200–₱400 cheaper per month and prepaid data last longer because of less congestion. (This depends on how aggressively infra-sharing and new entrants will be rolled out.) 

• For a micro-retailer: Digital wallets and QRPh acceptance stabilize with fewer outages, and switching providers becomes thinkable when contracts expire. (QRPh is the Philippines’ national standard for Quick Response code-based payments, enabling secure and convenient digital transactions across various banks and electronic wallets.)

• For LGUs and disaster response: Satellite-enabled redundancy strengthens communications when typhoons knock out fiber. E-gov kiosks remain online for relief distribution.

What to watch out for

Whether the bill lapses into law remains to be seen. What we should watch out for are the details of the IRR. These details — security vetting, infra-sharing rules, QoS thresholds, spectrum management — will determine real-world impact. (QoS, or Quality of Service, refers to the set of technologies and techniques that enable a network to prioritize and manage different types of traffic to ensure the performance of certain applications or services, especially in situations where resources are limited or when certain applications require specific performance characteristics.)

• How quickly permits and shared facilities become operational. There must be no lag between the time DICT and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) operationalize permits and shared facilities. Gains evaporate if LGU delays and right-of-way issues persist. 

• Funding and skills. DICT headcount and local tech capacity must match the ambition; otherwise, enforcement lags and consumer promises become paper-thin. 

• Meaningful consumer metrics. Median download/upload, latency, outages per month, and effective price per GB by province must be tracked — not just national averages. (Civil society and industry groups advocating the law are already pushing for this.) 

Concerned government officials, political leaders, digital technology experts, and the general public keenly await the enactment of the proposed “Konektadong Pinoy Act,” or KP Act for short, which is widely perceived to be a game-changer in the country’s information technology sector.

Currently on the desk of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for enactment into law, the bill is also seen as aligned with his promise for expanded public access to the internet, as well as the pursuit of policy reforms that would streamline the deployment of digital infrastructures nationwide.

The President has expressed particular interest in internet connectivity reaching the so-called “last mile” schools in the country for learners in remote areas to gain access to advanced information technology comparable to those enjoyed by their peers in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized centers. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said the proposed “Konektadong Pinoy” bill aims to strengthen consumer rights and expand affordable connectivity, not undermine telcos. 

The bottom line

If Konektadong Pinoy’s open-access rules are enacted with strong — but not paralyzing — security and consumer safeguards, the “everyday” effects are tangible: slightly cheaper plans, more reliable service in more places, and real options beyond the Big Two telcos. The benefits won’t arrive overnight or everywhere at once, but for households outside dense urban centers, this is the most credible path in years toward internet that simply works — and keeps working — when Filipinos need it most. – Rappler.com