Press Release
November 21, 2017

GRACE POE ON ENTRY OF FOREIGN TELCO PLAYERS

The entry of qualified foreign players into the telco market would be a welcome development. Healthy competition could lead to better services for the consumers. However, our current laws would not allow this.

This is why I filed SBN 1441, which seeks to amend the antiquated Public Service Act that would confine the definition of "public utility" to natural monopolies, which are the transmission and distribution of electricity, and water works and sewerage systems as it should. These "natural monopolies" will still be restricted by the constitutional limitation on foreign ownership (60-40).

As chair of the Committee on Public Services, I will push for its immediate passage in the Senate, and have, in fact, scheduled for a hearing on this as soon as the Senate concludes its deliberations on the TRAIN and budget bills.

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