The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has issued a new order that lifts the prohibition of constructing telecom posts along national roads in order to hasten the telecommunication infrastructure expansion and improve connectivity in the country.

Per DPWH’s Department Order No. 29, telcos and Internet service providers may now construct, conduct excavations, and perform restoration works within the allowable right-of-way limits of national roads. The limits will be dictated by the district engineering office in every region in the country.

The order amends DO No. 73 of 2014, which prohibited the construction of electrical and utility poles on national roads. The order was meant to address the possible dangers these poles could pose during calamities.

The decision to amend the 2014 order was made in compliance with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which was passed to accelerate permit approval and remove red tape.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology, along with the National Telecommunications Commission, also compelled DPWH to make the amendment so as to hasten the deployment of ICT infrastructure amid the global health crisis.

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