As telco companies speed up their efforts in expanding the infrastructure needed for improving the country’s internet speeds, PLDT and Smart back the guidelines made by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) on the streamlining of the permitting process of shared Passive Telecommunications Tower Infrastructure (PTTIs).

For context, ARTA and several key agencies signed a joint memorandum circular (JMC) last July 1 to make the issuance of all permits needed for building fiber and cable infrastructures as seamless as possible.

Key points of the signed JMC include weeding out documentary requirements for a building permit since it does not apply to Passive Telecommunications Tower Infrastructures (PTTI), and removing the need for a Fire Safety Evaluation Clearance for the construction of towers.

In addition to that, the JMC also mandates the submission of a Unified Application form for Building Permit, Locational Clearance and Barangay Clearance to the One-Stop Shop for Construction Permits (OSSCP) set up by LGUs.

“Government initiatives such as the streamlining of permitting guidelines, and future plans of creating ‘One-Stop Shops’ in LGUs for the processing of all kinds of permits, help expedite the expansion of our network across the country, particularly fiber,” PLDT and Smart President and CEO Al Panlilio said.

Since ARTA issued new guidelines on the issuance of permits, PLDT and Smart have secured more than 37,000 fixed and wireless permits as of November 1. As of September this year, PLDT’s fiber infrastructure is at around 615,000 kilometers, which approximately serves 96% of the population in the Philippines.