DICT, NTC call for right-of-way changes to hasten cable rollout

In a statement on Wednesday, the DICT and the NTC urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to look into amending its Department Order 73, series of 2014, which prohibits the installation of posts, cables, and similar infrastructure along all national roads. (File photo: @yourladyflower/Unsplash)

MANILA – The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) are asking for changes to the right-of-way rules on national roads to fast-track the rollout of telecommunications poles and cables, especially in remote areas.

In a statement on Wednesday, the DICT and the NTC urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to look into amending its Department Order 73, series of 2014, which prohibits the installation of posts, cables, and similar infrastructure along all national roads.

The order, it said, “results in difficulties for public telecommunication entities as they proceed with the implementation of their roll-out plans for critical backbone and last-mile connectivity.”

It said a letter was sent to DPWH Secretary Mark Villar citing the Memorandum of Agreement signed by the DPWH during the First Philippine Telecoms Summit in 2017, wherein it was agreed to amend or revise DO 73 to accelerate the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure.

“Following this MOA signing, the DPWH held various technical working group meetings with representatives from the DICT, NTC, telecommunications companies, cable operators as well as other stakeholders,” the statement read.

It said the recently established Telecommunications Monitoring Group (TMG) also proposed amendments to the order.

The TMG is composed of the DICT, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Presidential Anti-Crime Commission, Presidential Commission on Good Government, Anti-Red Tape Authority, and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President.