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Noting that the high concentration of people within condominiums can create bandwidth problems, Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda has filed a bill that would make it easier for such locations to host telecommunications facilities. Salceda filed House Bill (HB) No.8534, or the proposed Act providing for the telecommunications technology readiness of buildings and structures, amending certain sections of Presidential Decree 1091, otherwise known as the National Building Code. In justifying the measure, the veteran solon reckoned, "Telecom services are now as basic as plumbing. That was certainly the case with the pandemic. And that is now the case, with work-from-home arrangements.” “In Metro Manila alone, there are at least 160,000 condominium units, housing close to one million people – mainly working-class families, students, or young professionals in greatest need of fast and reliable internet,” he said. “High concentrations of people within limited spaces can be taxing on telecommunications services, especially on bandwidth, unless adequate provision is given for telecommunications facilities," he said. "Without specific mandates to ensure digital connectivity in such complexes, the ability of internet service providers and other telecommunications service providers to deliver to their clients will be significantly hampered,” Salceda explained. The economist-congressman said that the Building Code, enacted in 1977, could not have anticipated this digital future. "But we are now living in that future. The laws should work for us, not constrain us to the limits of previous generations’ imagination," he said. Under HB No.8534, “Buildings or structures and property developments shall be provided, as part of mandatory basic requirements, telecommunications /ICT (information and communications technology) infrastructure in accordance to the relevant technical specifications and requirements defined by the industry and/or latest Philippine electronics codes.” Salceda filed the measure last June 14 and is awaiting first reading and committee referral.