THE country’s cable operators called for an investigation into what they claim was the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) “one day” approval and release of certificate of registration or license to disreputable independent internet providers.

The Federation of International Cable TV and Telecommunications Association of the Philippines (Fictap) said it has evidence that the NTC granted “quickie” licenses to independent internet providers or so-called value-added services (VAS) providers who were using their license in illegal activities like pornography.

The license granted to VAS providers specified that they must comply with the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or

Exploitation of Children and AntiChild Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Materials Act (Republic Act 11930), which amended the AntiChild Pornography Act of 2009 or RA 9775.

Fictap President Estrellita Juliano-Tamano said that two months ago, the group asked the NTC for a list of independent internet providers that were issued licenses but has received no response.

Juliano-Tamano told The Manila Times in an interview she believes “there is an ongoing collusion among the NTC [commissioners], the quickie operators and ill-advised telecoms who rent out transmissions to these money-hungry outfits.”

She said they sent a complaint letter and a meeting request to the NTC on July 24 and that a meeting was held on August 7.

During the meeting, the Fictap presented to the NTC commissioners evidence on the illegal activities of the VAS providers, including a video presentation of a VAS provider entitled “Walastik,” which advertised its services that included a gadget with pornographic content and illegally recorded shows and programs from paid providers like Netflix and HBO.

“Promises were made, but nothing concrete was done by the NTC since that meeting to fix the problems,” Juliano-Tamano said.

A check on the business permit of the Walastik advertiser showed that it is a “supplier of telecom equipment.”

Juliano-Tamano said the providers’ underhanded tactics were detestable enough, but the bigger question is, “Why does the NTC continue to tolerate their practices despite repeated calls from our group to do something about it.”

She asked the commission to stop issuing licenses while the VAS providers are investigated, “but our request was denied.”

“They reasoned that withholding the release of licenses would put them in trouble with the ARTA (Anti-Red Tape Authority), which requires them to release the license within seven days,” Juliano-Tamano said.

She added that the NTC is so lenient with VAS providers and that she learned from sources in the agency that licenses were being approved and released to VAS applicants on the day they filed their applications.

“If a VAS applicant applies in the morning, its license is released on the same day, while it takes cable operators like us five to 10 years to get our license, not to mention the huge expenses we spend on hearings and for the services of a lawyer,” Juliano-Tamano said.

She described the expeditious manner by which an NTC license is approved as “highly suspicious,” hinting that a syndicate might be behind it.

Juliano-Tamano cited the NTC’s grant of VAS registration to Starlink, a company owned by Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, now known as X, and listed as the world’s richest man.

As a VAS provider, Starlink is allowed to directly access satellite systems and build and operate broadband facilities to offer internet services.

“Starlink applied in the morning, and within 30 minutes, it (license) was released,” Juliano-Tamano said.

She brought out Starlink’s case during their meeting with the NTC commissioners, pointing out that Starlink “has no congressional franchise, no telecom franchise to provide Internet service, and as VAS provider, Starlink should have a partner telco.”

“In Elon Musk’s application alone, our government should have earned billions of pesos considering that Musk is the richest in the world, worth trillions of dollars,” Juliano Tamano said.

“The NTC should have charged him (Musk) with a $1 billion in registration fee. Musk would have willingly paid as he could afford. But Musk, a trillionaire, paid only P30,000 [as registration fee], nothing more. In 30 minutes, the license was released,” she said.

The regulator explained that the speedy processing of Starlink’s registration was meant to expedite the rollout of its services.

In Fictap’s case, Tamano said the NTC could not even make a prompt reply to their formal request for a copy of the list of licensed independent internet providers.

She accused the VAS providers of violating another provision of the internet access service, which bars them from setting up their own radio communications network.

The providers continue to ignore the provision despite the evidence submitted to the NTC that they have built their own communications towers, bypassing the transmission network of authorized public telecom companies, she said.

The cable TV industry in the countryside will die “because of the illegal activities of VAS providers,” Juliano-Tamano said.

“More than 30 years ago, there was no communication, no information, no TV in the countryside. To heed government encouragement for small and medium entrepreneurs to invest in business, many cable operators invest their lifelong savings on cable TV. Through cable television, our countrymen were able to watch CNN, watch what was happening in the whole world and real-time information that cable operators in the countryside are serving them,” she said.

“But now that we are asking for help to stop the proliferation of illegal players, they refuse to help us. Why? What’s their reason?” JulianoTamano said.

NTC’s inaction has enabled the providers to sell pornographic materials. “This unconscionable practice is being done and justified in the name of business for an eventual takeover of the cable TV industry,” she said.

“What these VAS providers did was to undermine the services the cable operators are providing. They illegally offer services that only cable operators are authorized to do,” Juliano-Tamano said.