MAY 29, 2015

NR # 3846B

House approves Free Public Wi-Fi Act

The House of Representatives has approved a long list of vital measures including the free
public wireless internet access in public buildings, terminals, parks and plazas nationwide.
The proposed Free Public Wi-Fi Act seeks to address the countrys problem of
interconnectivity by providing free public access point in all major public places, the authors
stressed, following the third reading passage of HB 5791.
HB 5791 is entitled An Act providing free public wireless internet access in public buildings,
terminal, parks and plazas throughout the country. The original HB 1550 was principally authored
by Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry L. Ridon.
The substitute bill was earlier approved and defended in plenary by the House Committee on
Information and Communications Technology chaired by Rep. Joel Roy R. Duavit (1 st District, Rizal)
and Rep. Ridon himself.
Co-authors of the substitute measure include: Reps. Xavier Jesus D. Romualdo; Mariano
Michael M. Velarde, Jr.; Francis Gerald A. Abaya; Monique Yazmin Q. Lagdameo, Antonio L. Tinio
and Jonathan Dela Cruz.
HB 5791 mandates the installation of broadband hotspots in the following areas: all national
government offices; buildings of state universities and colleges; public parks and plazas; public
hospitals and public transportation terminals.
The proposed statute mandates that access to the internet connections shall not be restricted
with password, except when there is a clear and present security or technical risk. Within a period of
two (2) years (from effectivity of this Act), all public spaces as stated in this Act shall be ensured a
range of broadband hotspots.
Likewise, the measure provides that the Information and Communications Technology Office
(ICTO) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) shall be the lead implementing
agency of the proposed Act.
It also states that internet connectivity will be provided by the ICTO and hotspots will be
made available initially by the services of existing commercial internet service providers (ISPs) when
technically, the ICTO cannot provide connectivity.
The measure provides that no fees shall be collected for users to connect to the internet using
the public broadband hotspots or the free public wi-fi network.
Furthermore, the proposed law states that the government shall respect the privacy of citizens
who use the public broadband hotspots. In no case shall the administration or management of public
broadband hotspots engage in the collection, use, or disclosure of user data, including the collection
of anonymous traffic data, in accordance with existing laws. (30) dpt