Ivan John Uy, Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), promised on September 8 that the “dead” free Wi-Fi service areas would be renewed and reactivated within three months.
Uy revealed that the department’s Free Wi-Fi for All – Free Public Internet Access Program is no longer operational in many locations during a House of Representatives appropriations committee hearing on DICT’s proposed budget of PHP 7.2 billion for 2023.
“I was aghast when I found out that most areas have terminated their (free Wi-Fi) services as of Aug. 31, 2021. And there was no effort at all to renew those (sic) connectivity,” revealed Sec. Uy.
Uy proposed creating a streamlined system to ease the burden of renewing subscriptions to free Wi-Fi service providers, in addition to reviving the connectivity of free public Wi-Fi in certain areas.
Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza stated that the government’s Free Public Wi-Fi program has had a target of providing 105,000 free public Wi-Fi spots since 2016, and that Congress has since allocated approximately PHP12 billion for the project.
Daza, on the other hand, stated that only 10% of these sites have been established, and only 4% are currently operational.
“We’re hoping that (the Free Public Wi-Fi) will be a priority for the new secretary and the new officials,” said Rep. Daza.
The Northern Samar representative also emphasized the department’s fiscal performance over the previous year, noting that the DICT only used about 25% of its previous appropriations.
“We understand that the DICT has many good programs and projects,” he said. “But please allow me, as part of our role as fiscalizer, and also as your partner in nation building, to maybe focus on some of the issues and problems that the DICT has faced in the last few years. This is really to support and improve the projects and programs of the DICT.”
Uy agreed that previous projects were not up to par in comparison to the budget allotted to the department. He also stated that the DICT intends to use 70 percent to 80 percent of its budget through various programs by August.
“In the first eight months, you will see a budget utilization of 20 percent. But in the next three months, you will see a utilization of about 50 percent. The DICT has a huge mandate, and we owe the people the delivery of all these services. Congress has been generous in providing the funding necessary, and we need to implement (the programs),” assured Sec. Uy.
