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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Sison: Registration of prepaid SIM cards impractical
By Mark Allen C. Sison
THE registration of prepaid Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM) cards is impractical, unrealistic, and unachievable. This was the view of majority of the lawmakers present during the joint meeting of the House committees on information communications technology and on trade and industry headed by Representatives Simeon Kintanar (2nd District, Cebu) and Junie Cua (Quirino), respectively. The meeting was called to deliberate on a draft consolidated bill seeking to regulate the operation of telecommunications services to protect the rights of cellular phone subscribers.
Representatives Benasing Macarambon Jr. (2nd District, Lanao del Sur), Roilo Golez (2nd District, Parañaque City), Rodante Marcoleta (Party List, Alagad), Salacnib Baterina (1st District, Ilocos Sur) and Ma. Milagros "Mitos" Magsaysay (1st District, Zambales) were one in saying that the proposal requiring the registration of prepaid SIM cards should be further studied.
Section 6 of the draft consolidated bill requires all public telecommunication entities that sell prepaid SIM packs for mobile phones to register said SIM cards, and ensure that the buyers of such cards be properly identified through the presentation of valid identification cards.
It further provides that existing prepaid subscribers who fail to register their existing prepaid SIM cards and the serial number of their mobile phone units within the prescribed period with the respective public telecommunications entities (PTE) servicing them shall have their account immediately deactivated.
Macarambon said the registration requirement burdens the cellular phone users instead of protecting them, thus contradicting the very purpose of the proposed law. He also wanted to know specifically which identification cards are acceptable to the SIM card sellers as he said that IDs are difficult to acquire especially in the rural areas.
The lawmaker also said most of the bill's provisions run counter to the policy of protecting the subscribers. Most of the bill's provisions are restrictions and penalties to be imposed on the subscribers, he added.
Representative Abraham Kahlil Mitra (2nd District, Palawan), who co-presided over the meeting, expressed the view that a certification from the barangay chairman would be sufficient as an identification of the subscriber.
Increase in cost
Golez said the registration of prepaid SIM cards is impractical and not viable as it would increase their cost. He added that prepaid SIM cards are also being sold everywhere, even in remote areas, but registration offices may not be available in all areas. He also said that with the existing 36 million prepaid subscribers, registration would be very hard to achieve, just like the registration of voters in the country.
Marcoleta, concurring with the statements of Macarambon and Golez, said the proposed law should balance the interests of the public and the telecommunication companies. He also suggested inserting a clause in the bill requiring the telecommunication companies to protect the cellular units of their subscribers.
Baterina, for his part, said the registration of prepaid SIM cards would entail a lot of personnel.
Magsaysay also suggested amending Section 6 of the proposed law to make it doable and practical.
Meanwhile, Representative Janette Garin (1st District, Iloilo) said Section 5 of the bill, which entitles prepaid subscribers to a detailed billing on the use of their mobile phone by presenting their consumed prepaid card to the designated business center of the service providers, is likewise unrealistic.
Too much regulation
Lawyer Rodolfo Salalima, senior vice-president of Globe Telecommunications, said the consolidated bill contains so many regulations particularly affecting the carriers that counteract the spirit of Republic Act (RA) 7925, which he said deregulates the telecommunications industry. He also maintained that the registration of prepaid SIM packs is not the solution to curbing criminality. "Why punish the whole country for the misdemeanor of only a few?" he asked.
Salalima further said that once the administrative cost of selling SIM cards is increased, consumer cost will also be increased. The provision requiring every prepaid consumer to register is a constriction on the universal accessibility of basic telecommunications, he added.
On the other hand, Victorio Mario Dimagiba of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) endorsed the provision requiring the registration of prepaid SIM cards.
Curb illegal activities
Dimagiba said that in various inter-agency meetings on the proposal, the registration of SIM card was viewed by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) as one of the possible means to curb the use of prepaid SIM cards for illegal activities. He nonetheless said that if a more acceptable and reasonable scheme would be devised to achieve such a purpose, then the registration of prepaid SIM cards would not be necessary.
Meanwhile, representatives from other groups expressed their views and comments to the consolidated bill.
Nestor Virata, vice-president of Philippine Electronics and Telecommunications Federation (Petef), expressed support for the bill.
Converging technologies
Virata further said that with the multi-media capabilities of the cellular phone system, the converging technologies like video, text, data, and voice should also be included in the coverage of the proposed law. He also underscored the need to maintain a code of ethics in the mobile phone system and a provision for the protection of minors.
Antonio Cruz of the TXTPower, for his part, while expressing support to the intent of the bill of protecting the rights of cellular phone users, specifically stated his group's opposition to the proposed registration of prepaid SIM cards and the setting up of a database or electronic listing of all prepaid SIM cards.
Golez proposed the deletion of all provisions in the bill that would be burdensome to the subscribers and to retain only those that would truly protect the rights of subscribers. Kintanar, however, assured everyone that all the issues raised will be threshed out properly. He announced that in the next meeting, the House committees would come up with an improved version of the consolidated bill.
(July 13, 2005 issue)
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