MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV on Thursday vowed to pass a measure that would expedite the issuance of permits to build information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure as the executive branch moved to speed up the installation of free public Wi-Fi technology across the country.

This after Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Rodolfo Salalima told a hearing of the Senate committee on science and technology of delays that the department and telecommunications companies usually encountered in securing permits from local government units (LGUs) to install Wi-Fi technology in target areas.

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Salalima said the DICT is already drafting an executive order (EO) in hopes of speeding up the process through harmonizing efforts with LGUs.

“What appears is that even if they want to install facilities, ang nakakabangga po nila ang LGUs (they have to go through LGUs). In fact, Sec. Salalima of DICT said that we need to have a provision in the law to fast-track the securing of permits,” said Aquino in an interview.

“That’s why they’re drafting an EO. That’s why we will probably file a counterpart bill so that the EO will become a law and we will fast-rack the installation of facilities and infrastructure,” said the senator, chair of the science and technology committee.

The DICT is currently implementing a program to provide free Wi-Fi in 12,000 public places by November 2017, 5,000 of which is being targeted to be active by the end of the year.

The Senate just began deliberations on at least four bills mandating the government’s provision of free Wi-Fi connectivity in public places.

During the hearing, telecommunications firms also spoke of difficulties in building new cell sites meant to boost mobile phone reception due to challenges in securing LGU permits.

Aquino, also chair of the Senate committee on education, also expressed concern over the low internet connectivity in public schools, currently pegged at 26 percent.

“To think they have billions of pesos to connect our schools to the Internet, only about one-fourth has the ability to connect because of the lack of infrastructure and Internet signal,” he said.

Aquino asked the Department of Education, DICT and telecommunications firms to work together to craft a plan to address the problem. RAM

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