NTC to Cap our Broadband Internet Connections?
NTC had already discontinued their proposal due to strong opposition from the public and will focus on ensuring that local ISPs would deliver quality services to their customers.
Before the year 2010 ended, I encountered an article at Manila Times about NTC allowing their broadband service providers to put a maximum limit to the number of data that is available to each subscriber. According to the NTC, the broadband cap is needed to address the persistent complaints from many broadband subscribers: internet is a lot slower than the subscribed speed.
According to the revised draft Memorandum Order released by the NTC, internet broadband service providers should “specify the minimum broadband connection speed and service reliability, as well as the service rates in their advertisements, flyers, brochures and service and legal agreements.” The service reliability should be 80 percent at the minimum.
With a capped internet connection, a subscriber is permitted to get a maximum amount of data within a specified amount of time. For example, a subscriber with 1 Mbps connection maybe allowed to get only 25 GB of data each month from its service provider.
Image credit to Dylan
My stand: I strongly disagree with this proposal of letting out ISPs put a cap to our broadband connections. I do not exactly understand how broadband capping solves the poor internet connection problem.
There will be a many people who will be affected by this change: online workers like me who fully rely on the internet for income, webmasters like me who need to upload and download huge amounts of data. Even the typical occasional user also gets much data from the internet – watching YouTube videos and playing games in Facebook also needs much data.
For my ISP PLDT, this could also mean that users may decide not to enjoy watching PLDT Watchpad or even upping their subscriptions to the newly launched PLDT Telepad because these also need a significant amount of data to download.
If you are like me who is against this proposal, then I suggest that you take active part in adding your signature to the online petition that is circulating around (I have just added my signature to it): No to broadband cap, yes to #betterinternet in the Philippines
Faust
January 2nd, 2011 at 8:41 pm #
and if the capping happens does this means that your internet connections will be disconnected when you reach a certain threshold? why can they build networks that filters unwanted traffic, or better not apply for services that do require unlimited connection regardless…
i think the isp’s should rethink their strategy. maybe they cant afford to upgrade their facilities of their poor service/s.
japan and other countries offer decent connection and yet they dont complain.. i wonder why in the philippines…
Gem
January 2nd, 2011 at 9:29 pm #
Even if these service providers decide to disconnect a subscriber from the internet or charge more per KB after the threshold, I still don’t agree with that kind of implementation.
Online Money Matters
January 3rd, 2011 at 12:52 am #
This is really bad news for us, NTC sucks.
Goodbye Internet: NTC caps broadband data volume | Something is geeky!
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:40 am #
[...] The NTC projected broadband subscribers to grow by three digits in the next two to three years. Source: Manilatimes.net, DARWIN G. AMOJELAR, 12-27-2010 NTC to Cap Broadband Connections [...]
Calvin
January 3rd, 2011 at 4:39 pm #
if im not mistaken, i hope what will happen here is pag na-reach mo yung cap mo, babagal lang ng konti connection mo. i think this will discourage those into piracy. pero yeah it will affect those who heavily rely on the net for income.
George
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:20 pm #
That’s a lot of crap… these TelCos can’t even provide a decent connection and yet their telling in their advertisements of “seemless streaming”. Now they’re putting caps on bandwiths? That doesn’t solve anything but more frustration on the subscribers part. NTC doesn’t even study what TelCos are doing. Putting up 100Mbps stations then distributing them to 300 clients then they will say that subscribers will have 1Mbps subscription. Heck, I could only experience that for what, once a month. And in a midnight too. Moreover, when you speak to their support, they don’t even know what they’re talking about. They’ll just tell you “we’re forwarding your concern to our fields agents, kindly monitor your connection within 24 hours” (I’ve memorized their line after talking to them for soooooooo many times.)
Faust
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:36 pm #
@George
I agree, the service will be a huge issue, since not all telcos are open to this, you send a concern and all they say is blah.. blah… crap! i think they should upgrade to latest broadband standard speed what like japan is doing… but i think philippine isp lags behind this..
Arnold
January 4th, 2011 at 12:48 am #
It’s 2011 and we really need to move on but what happen is where all going back to stone age, crap! good luck nalang sa mga naghohome base
wala silang alam kundi PERA PERA PERA! what we need is upgrade not downgrade >.<
samanosuke_04
January 4th, 2011 at 2:41 pm #
bandwidth capping makes your internet much more faster, since the whole bandwidth paid is dedicated to you only.. and it does justice to ppl who don’t like downloading much, their internet speed wont be leech by selfish downloaders.. teehee.. the same system is used here in moscow…
just a humble opinion, nice blog btw…
crackerer
January 5th, 2011 at 9:00 am #
I would have agreed with bandwidth capping but the alloted cap is **too low**. Take for example the Globe prepaid unlimited subscription for 5 days, you can only download 1 Gig per day so in reality its not unlimited but a bucket subscription hidden as unlimited. Subscribers complained to NTC regarding problematic connection, NTC asked the ISP for a solution, the ISP’s blamed it to their clients and offered bandwidth capping, the NTC agrees, subscriber LOSES!
Tim
January 5th, 2011 at 12:15 pm #
Btw is this download only or also upload? I think this is a bad move, pano kung naghohosting business ako ang home based lang?
Gem
January 5th, 2011 at 2:47 pm #
I heard that the cap covers both download and upload.
Jason
January 5th, 2011 at 3:42 pm #
Our NTC appears to be working for the TelCos just as our Energy Department seems to be working for the Oil Companies. Hmmm… Something is very wrong.
crackerer
January 5th, 2011 at 4:36 pm #
They have coporate accounts for business but it’ll cost you.
KelvinServigon
January 7th, 2011 at 8:16 pm #
And this is the reason why Globe’s “unlimited” surfing is now limited for some GBs per month? I hate NTC. I hope this is for the good of all, and by all, I mean subscribers and not ISP giants!
Faust
January 7th, 2011 at 10:14 pm #
how about some subscribers that use globe tattoo internet postpaid? i know some of them use it for web development and other web apps that consume huge bandwidths.. i really dont know if its in the works.. i mean in their service level agreements/acceptable usage policy.. it seems to me some telcos as lazy as sloth..
gerald dimacuha
January 12th, 2011 at 3:13 am #
The hearing yesterday at the NTC was jampacked! The Commissioners were quite receptive of the consumers’ insight. If my take on the discussion is right, something good will come out of this!
Rommy
January 13th, 2011 at 3:04 pm #
and you’re right! something good did come out of it
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/210421/ntc-scraps-broadband-cap-proposal
props to the NTC for listening to the people! it was a silly idea proposed to the NTC anyway, im glad that NTC Commissioner Cordoba was receptive to the demands of the Filipino broadband users! good job to him!
Rick
January 13th, 2011 at 8:55 pm #
the first time the government LISTENED to the public and ACTED on it! Now, only if the other government agencies do the same.
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