Tarlac 2nd District Rep. Victor Yap, chair of the House information and communication technology (ICT) committee, expressed confidence on this yesterday as his committee endorsed for plenary approval House Bill No. 7652 or the Mobile Number Portability Act for debate and amendments.
“Through long and consistent use, a mobile phone user acquires property rights over their phone number. They contain vital information and connect users to one another. Forcing them to surrender these numbers when changing networks is akin to depriving them of a vital commodity, especially in the digital world,” Yap said in a statement.
Yap said “the bill would let phone subscribers shift from one network to another, as well as switch from postpaid to prepaid subscription or vice-versa, without having to change their mobile numbers.”
“This bill is revolutionary in that it would break the dominance of current telcos in the industry by reducing barriers to switching. With mobile phone users no longer being burdened with the cost of switching networks such as having to inform people about the change, updating relevant forms, and missing important calls, they will be more willing to try new players. This can spur competition and improve PTEs’ service,” he also said.
Yap said that under the bill, “the Recipient Provider must notify the Public Telecommunication Entity (PTE) that currently provide services to a subscriber, or a Donor Provider, within 24 hours of a subscriber’s desire to shift to the Recipient Provider’s network.”
“Should a client have any existing financial obligation, they will then be given three working days to settle their unpaid dues. If a client does not pay these fees within the specified time, the Donor Provider will notify the Recipient Provider of the non-payment,” he noted.
He stressed that subscribers who wish to switch their locked devices to another provider are also covered by the law.
“PTEs that violate the proposed law will be fined by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)of an amount starting from P100,000 to P300,000 for the first offense, and P400,000 to P600,000 for the second offense. Subsequent offenses, meanwhile, will be fined at an amount that will range from P700,000 to P1 million as well as cancel a PTE’s franchise to operate,” he also noted.
