POE TO DITO: PROVE WORTHY OF FRANCHISE RENEWAL

Sen. Grace Poe said Dito Telecommunity Corp. must first prove that it is capable of fulfilling the terms of its obligations and meet end-user expectations before its franchise is renewed.

"Wala pa naman silang napapatunayan, bakit naman namin sila bibigyan ng prangkisa agad-agad," Poe reiterated in an interview.

"Serbisyo muna bago prangkisa," said the chairperson of the Senate committee on public services who recently challenged the third telco to roll out its services in unserved and underserved areas.

Dito has previously committed to serving 7,435 barangays on its first year of application with a minimum speed of 27 mbps.

"Titingnan at susuriin natin kung talagang nabigyan ba nila ng mabilis na internet ang mga lugar na dapat bigyan ng serbisyo. Hindi naman basta-basta nagbibigay lang ng prangkisa dahil nag-apply," said Poe who proposed for Dito's service to be also evaluated by the end-users themselves, aside from an independent auditor.

Dito's franchise will not expire until 2023 but is getting a head start as early as now, which Poe says is normal and understandable especially when it wants to welcome new investors and make current ones feel secure.

"Gusto ko rin sanang magtagumpay ang Dito. But it is not the government's role to bend to meet the telco halfway just so it could have the needed assurance early on. It's a prerequisite for applicants to have the capital ready before making any promises of their service," Poe said.

Dito's partnership with China Telecommunications Corp. also had some members of the Senate worried about cybersecurity issues. The committee is currently waiting for a report by the Department of Information and Communications Technology's cybersecurity group regarding such threats.

Poe assured that should there be threats to the nation's cybersecurity, any telco found to be in collusion with the offenders could easily have its franchise withdrawn.

Poe also said that a joint hearing will be held by the Senate committee on public services and national defense to tackle issues on cybersecurity.

"Hiwalay na pagdinig ang cybersecurity sapagkat napakalawak niyan at hindi pa nila nabubuo ang talagang dapat na iisang grupong magmamatyag sa ating seguridad," said Poe.