Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada Jr., the engineer most famous for whistleblowing on the NBN-ZTE broadband deal during the Arroyo administration, is advocating for the government to become an internet service provider.
In a June 24 radio interview, Lozada is calling for the government to provide broadband services to the public as it is an important utility for a modern society and modern governance. A public service, to him, ensures that remote, rural locations in the Philippines will have access to the Internet.
Lozada also expressed his reservations on the privately-owned internet service providers, as that would lead to only a handful of people in control of where, when, and how to provide internet services in the country. He noted that internet access is not a privilege, and that consumers don’t owe their ISPs anything since they pay for the service.
He also had qualms about the possible violation of privacy rights, given that ISPs may be tied with foreign governments and entities. Lozada went on to claim that the government currently does not have the capacity to monitor how ISPs are handling their customers’ data.