Uphold healthy competition and consumers’ right to choose
March 8, 2021Being deprived of the basic consumer right to choose their respective internet service providers (ISPs) has left homeowners of some private communities with slow and unreliable broadband connectivity.
The pertinent cases are that of the Twin Oaks Place (TOP) and, that of Lessandra Heights and Cerritos Heights in Bacoor City. In these cases, the scenario is practically the same; their private administrations disallow the entry of other ISPs in their respective areas because of an exclusivity policy being imposed on their homeowners. Only Twin Oaks Place Fiber Network (TOPFN) can operate for TOP while Planet Cable is the exclusive ISP for the two Bacoor based villages.
The Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has filed a case against Greenfield Development Commission, the property developers of TOP and Leopard Leopard Connectivity Business Solutions Inc, the ISP, saying that they have abused their dominance by preventing the entry of other ISPs from providing alternative internet services. This practice is in clear violation of the Philippine Competition Law; a law which prohibits and imposes penalties to anti-competitive practices.
According to the complaint filed by TOP residents, their exclusive ISP, Leopard is more expensive, slow compared other ISPs available in the area.
On the other hand, the residents of Cerritos and Lessandra heights in Bacoor city has petitioned their local government, the National Telecommunications Commission, the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, the Philippine Competition Commission, and private telecommunications providers Globe Telecom, PLDT, Converge, and others to help install and make available alternative fiber internet and landline facilities in their communities.
We at CitizenWatch Philippines urge the PCC to act swiftly and put a stop to these illegal and exploitative practice. Every consumer has a right to a free and open market environment where competition is based on the quality of products and services.