Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan of 4Ps Party-list has requested for additional cell towers and signal relay stations in the countryside, saying that rural communities are getting left behind in terms of access to high-speed internet connectivity badly needed to achieve greater economic productivity.
Libanan wrote a letter PLDT Inc. President Alfredo Panlilio, Globe Telecom Inc. president Ernest Cu, and DITO Telecommunity Corp. president Ernesto Alberto.
“The current density of cell towers and/or signal relay stations in the rural areas makes it hard for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to access the internet,” Libanan said.
“It is strongly requested that your good company immediately establish, commission and activate more cell towers in the countryside to afford our MSMEs adequate and stable access to the internet,” he added.
A copy of the letter was furnished to Gamaliel Cordoba, chief of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
A cell site, cell tower, or cellular base station is a cellular-enabled mobile device site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed to create a cell, or adjacent cells, in a cellular network.
According to Libanan, one of the key programs of the Pagtibayin at Palaguin ang Pangkabuhayang Pilipino party-list is “to support and assist the country’s MSMEs by providing them the necessary tools, technologies, skills and competencies.”
“We believe that ample access to information through stable communication facilities and services is an essential ingredient to the development of our MSMEs not only in the urban centers, but equally in the countryside,” Libanan said.
