NTC’s Crusade for the 6-Second Billing Scheme

The Inquirer reports that the NTC has asked the help of the Solicitor General to speed up the resolution of the case filed by the cellphone companies to stop the implementation of an NTC guideline that would have made life better for pre-paid subscribers. The case was filed in 2000 and it’s still pending at the trial court level. Actually, the delay was partly caused by the NTC when it brought the case to the higher courts only to have it remanded back to the QC trial court for further proceedings.  In the meantime, the benefits of the circular have not been felt by the public and given the lethargic pace of our court system, that won’t happen anytime soon.

This sad experience confirms my belief that in policy matters affecting technology, it is far better to reach some sort of accomodation between the industry regulated and government.  Issues like Wi-Fi or voice over IP must not be left for a judge to resolve.  It will take so long for the case to wind through the judiciary that by the time a final order is made, market forces and technological advancement would render any court order meaningless.  Cooperatve engagement of stakeholders would be a far better alternative than confrontation.

In the case of the NTC guidelines, I’m sure the cellphone companies would have acceded to some of the provisions in the guidelines.  The NTC could have eased those in and negotiated for the rest.  Instead, the NTC went ahead and forced the issue on the cellcos.  This strategy has led them to where they are today.