NTC officials on telco payroll, Casino claims

A militant lawmaker has charged in a privilege speech that some officials of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) maybe receiving monthly retainers from some telecom companies. Rep. Teddy Casiño (Party-list, Bayan Muna) urged the House Committee on Information and Communications Technology, headed by Rep. Sigfrido Tinga (2nd District, Taguig City), to conduct an investigation into the payola allegations at the NTC even as the latter is currently conducting an inquiry on PLDT’s acquisition of Digitel. “There are persistent rumors that some NTC commissioners are on the payroll of the telcos. In this light, maybe it’s about time we conducted lifestyle checks on the NTC commissioners," Casiño said. The lawmaker said he has yet to see an instance when the NTC exercised its regulatory powers to rein in the telcos. “The NTC always gives way to the telcos — casting a blind eye on and overlooking the lousy service and ballooning charges based on the wrong assumption that such is the result of healthy competition. Nothing could be farther from the truth," Casiño said. Casiño said the NTC, which is supposed to regulate monopolistic practices cannot even be expected to protect consumer or national interest. “Our experience with the NTC is that it is afraid of the giant telcos. Instead of protecting public interest, they put the interest of big companies ahead of public interest," he added. “My fear is that the NTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will approve the PLDT-Digitel deal during our upcoming break. If so, then we (Congress) would be blamed in the end because the franchise came from Congress," Casiño said. “We must not allow them to simply break the law and allow monopoly to return to our telecommunications industry. The NTC and SEC must exercise extreme caution in approving this merger and be made to follow the law," Casiño said. Casiño said the PLDT-Smart’s acquisition of Digitel’s Sun Cellular effectively revived the ugly specter of a past monopoly in the telecommunications industry — the trademark of the old PLDT’s bad service. “This means that, in the bat of an eyelash, 71 percent of the entire telecommunications market landed in the hands of PLDT-Smart," Casiño said. “With Sun out of the way, what will stop PLDT-owned Smart Communications from conniving with Globe Telecom (another local telecommunications company) from raising rates the way they always wanted it to happen?" Casiño asked. Casiño said everyone was completely surprised when PLDT-Smart, owner of Red Mobile and Piltel Talk ‘n Text, which controls 58 percent of the local telecommunications industry, bought Digitel-Sun Cellular which controls 13 percent of the market. The lawmaker also warned that Sun Cellular’s unlimited text and call plans could be discontinued or, worse, even disrupted as a result of PLDT-Digitel deal. “What will happen now to Sun’s extremely popular unlimited text and call plans – the major headache of Smart and its competitor Globe – which PLDT-Smart wants stopped?" Casiño asked. “If PLDT-Smart could not even improve its own services, what more with Digitel and Sun’s services?" Casiño said. — Newsbytes.ph