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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senate bill seeks automatic refund for telco, ISP service interruptions   

Senate bill seeks automatic refund for telco, ISP service interruptions   

Published May 3, 2023 04:33 am
A bill seeking to compel telecommunication companies (Telcos) and internet service providers (ISPs) to provide automatic refund to subscribers who experience service interruptions has been filed in the Senate.   Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, author of Senate Bill No. 2074, said Telcos and ISPs should be able to refund its subscribers when they experience service disruptions at least 24 hours accumulated in a month.   Estrada said a refund should be in order if the service outages would accumulate to 24 hours in a month, reminding consumers “serbisyo ang binabayaran natin (We are paying for services).”   “Kapag hindi ka nakabayad ng iyong bill sa itinakda nilang due date ng pagbabayad, mabilis pa sa alas kwatro ang pagputol nila ng linya. Kung hindi rin naman nila matutumbasan ang serbisyong binabayaran natin, dapat ikaltas ito sa ating mga bayarin (When you don't pay your bill by the payment due date they set, they cut the line as fast as four o'clock. If they can't match the service we pay for, it should be deducted from our bills),” Estrada said.   “Bakit tayo magbabayad sa serbisyong hindi naman natin napakinabangan? At sa panahon na halos nakadepende ang bawat galaw natin sa mga gadgets at digital devices, mahalaga ang pagkakaroon ng mabilis, accessible at reliable connection (Why should we pay for a service that we have not benefited from? And at a time when our every move is almost dependent on gadgets and digital devices, it is important to have a fast, accessible and reliable connection),” he also said.   SB 2074, or the proposed Refund for Internet and Telecommunications Service Outages and Disruptions Act, primarily seeks to require public telecommunication entities (PTEs) and ISPs to institute a mechanism that will enable them to automatically refund or adjust the bills of their postpaid and prepaid subscribers whenever there are service disruptions.    The bill particularly seeks to amend Section 20 of Republic Act 7925, otherwise known as the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines, to include a section mandating  refund credit to clients who experienced a service outage and disruption for an aggregate period of 24 hours or more within a month.    The refund credit shall also be granted to customers subscribing to a service on a prepaid basis.    “Genuine accessibility can only be achieved if the connection services are regular, reliable, consistent, uninterrupted, and fast to allow continuity of activities and interconnection among different users,” the senator said.    “This measure intends to implement fair charging of services of telcos and ISPs to the consumers. It is important that they receive the service that is worth every cent that they pay, and they will not be charged for the service that they were not able to avail of,” the lawmaker reiterated.       

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