The congressmen behind the Roll-Over Internet Data Bill are prodding senators to pass a counterpart measure so that Filipino consumers may soon enjoy the full value of the Internet services that they pay for in their prepaid or postpaid packages.

This, after Camarines Sur 5th district Rep. Migz Villafuerte, House Committee on Information and Communications Technology (ICT); and Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. Luigi Villafuerte, deputy majority leader, successfully shepherded the Roll-Over Internet Data Bill to its third and final reading passage last week.

The measure, unanimously approved in House plenary with 222 "yes" votes, enables prepaid and postpaid Internet Service Provider (ISP) subscribers to carry over their remaining or unused data to the next billing cycle or until such loads or credits are consumed. 

Although the measure has already hurdled the House of Representatives, a similar legislation must be filed and passed at the Senate for it to progress toward enactment.

The House measure was endorsed last year by the Rep. Migz-chaired panel through Committee Report (CR) No. 9,  which had consolidated the Villafuertes' very own House Bill (HB) No.87 with HB Nos. 650 and 708. 

HB No.87 mandates ISPs to convert all unused and accumulated data of users into rebates that the Internet consumer may use, thereby extending the expiration period of Internet data purchased.

“To most of us in this increasingly connected world, access to reliable and affordable Internet service is no longer a luxury, but more of a necessity. However, for many consumers, the cost of monthly data plans remains a significant burden for them,” Rep. Migz said.

He described HB No.87 as “an essential piece of legislation that will empower consumers and promote affordability in the telecommunications industry".

With the advent of the digital age, Rep. Luigi noted that the Internet has become an indispensable tool for work, education, healthcare, social connection and more.

The deputy majority leader said the bill aims to address this issue by assuring all ISP subscribers of the full use of their data Internet packages by enabling them to roll-over their unused data.

This would thus allow consumers to accumulate data, reduce waste and save money on their monthly connectivity bills, he said.

The Villafuertes said that the lifting of the expiration periods of ISP data packages would mean “goodbye” to the current unfair, anti-consumer practice of ISPs to have their subscribers--whether with prepaid or postpaid data packages--forfeit their unused data when their particular subscriptions end after a day, three days, a week, 15 days or one month.

A similar bill requiring ISPs to adopt a roll-over data scheme was passed by the House of Representatives in the 18th Congress. However, the Senate was not able to act on a counterpart bill.