MANILA - Globe Telecom said Tuesday it was "optimistic" the Senate would pass a measure that aims to remove obstacles to building telco infrastructure in private villages, subdivisions and housing projects.

The House of Representatives recently passed on the third and final reading House Bill 10399, a bill seeking to promote digital connectivity in urban centers and in populated areas, the Ayala-led telco said in a statement.

Under the proposed bill, all housing projects, subdivisions, villages or other residential areas including socialized housing projects should allocate 30 percent of the gross area for open space to establish ICT infrastructure and related amenities.

Globe said it has encountered "numerous permitting issues" with homeowners' associations in establishing right-of-way in subdivisions.

“We are thankful to our lawmakers for their support. This piece of legislation helps address the permitting issues for right-of-way and cell site development in villages and subdivisions that affect Globe’s commitment to delivering a #1stWorldNetwork to Filipino homes,” Globe General Counsel Atty. Froilan Castelo said.

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President Rodrigo Duterte earlier urged telcos to improve connectivity. Demand has also peaked as workers shift to remote setup during the pandemic.

The government has since approved various measures to aid in the construction of new telco infrastructure such as the provisions included in the country's first and second coronavirus response laws also known as the Bayanihan 1 and 2.

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Globe, PLDT Inc and even pure fiber network provider Converge have been ramping up telco builds to expand coverage.

Globe for its part said it is on track to migrate all broadband users to fiber by 2022.

• Globe eyes migrating all broadband users to fiber by 2022

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