SENATOR Imee Marcos proposed cheaper internet access for low-income groups so that more Filipinos can learn, work and do business online.

“If lifeline rates are being given to water and electricity consumers, why can’t we give similar discounts for internet access?” Marcos asked.

She filed Senate Bill 2102 or the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines which seeks to provide socialized pricing mechanism for Internet use.

The bill prescribes a lifeline rate for broadband and data use based on consumption thresholds of not lower than one gigabyte per month.

“Low-income end-users need more than just the occasional mobile promo, with internet access becoming a necessity just like water and electricity. Work-from-home arrangements, online education, e-commerce and internet banking are here to stay,” Marcos, who chairs the Senate economic affairs committee, said.

Although the Philippines ranked 48th overall out of 110 countries in the Digital Quality of Life Index 2021, its internet affordability ranked 72nd, the lowest among the five criteria on which digital well-being was assessed by the Netherlands-based cybersecurity firm Surfshark.

The Philippines ranked 20th in internet quality, 30th in internet security, 63rd in e-infrastructure, and 67th in e-government.