A LAWMAKER has filed a bill that would grant a legislative franchise to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service to enable it to build ground stations to enhance internet connectivity in the country, particularly in remote and underserved areas.
Kabayan party-list Rep. Ron Salo filed House Bill 10954 on September 23, which will give a franchise to Starlink Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of SpaceX.
Starlink Philippines has already been accredited as a satellite systems provider and is registered as a value-added service provider in the country.
A visitor looks at the booth of Starlink during the International Consumer Electronics Fair (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, IFA) in Berlin, Germany, 01 September 2023. EPA-EFE/CLEMENS BILAN
In a statement, Salo said that while Filipinos were among the world’s most avid internet users, the country had one of the slowest and least reliable internet infrastructures in Southeast Asia.
“This bill aims to change that by leveraging Starlink’s technology to provide affordable and fast internet services, particularly to rural and isolated areas where connectivity is most needed,” Salo said.
The lawmaker added that the bill would enable Starlink to expand its services and provide millions of underserved Filipinos with fast internet access.
According to the Worldwide Broadband Speed League, the Philippines is ranked 86th out of 220 countries with an average download speed of 43.36 Mbps, far behind its Asian neighbors.
Only 56 percent of Filipino households are connected to the internet, with lower figures in the Zamboanga Peninsula and the Bangsamoro Region.
The bill seeks to authorize Starlink to establish telecommunications systems, including the construction and maintenance of ground stations and infrastructure to support its satellite internet service.
It would also mandate affordable pricing for underserved areas and set guidelines to ensure that Starlink adheres to standards of data privacy protection, aligning with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
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