Punish, suspend telcos’ franchises for violating per-pulse billing rule

We in TXTPower are asking Congress and the National Telecommunications Commission to crack down on the country’s telecommunications companies for failing to comply with the new per-pulse billing of mobile phone calls.

Per-pulse billing must be implemented immediately for the benefit of consumers. Telcos are dragging their feet perhaps to keep the unfair per-minute billing through the highly lucrative Christmas and New Year holiday season.

It is obvious that Smart, Globe and Sun Cellular have not complied with NTC Memorandum Circular 05-07-2009 which requires them to implement per-pulse billing on intra-network calls last Dec. 6 and on inter-network calls last Dec. 6.

As of today, per-pulse billing is only optional for subscribers of Smart, Globe and Sun Cellular. The two companies require subscribers to use prefixes to avail of the per-pulse billing. Up until today, the default remains per-minute billing – a clear violation of the NTC order. Read the rest of this entry »

Position Paper on the Proposed Five-Centavo Tax on Mobile Phone Services

Thank you to the distinguished Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee for extending an invitation for us to attend this hearing. Allow us to note the similar circumstances when this same panel reportedly voted to approve the new tax last Sept. 8. The said meeting was held immediately after a long weekend and did not provide the public, including oppositors, an opportunity to attend, participate, raise questions and to basically be heard.

On behalf of consumers, your taxpaying constituents, we in TXTPower wish to express our strong and unconditional opposition to the proposed five-centavo new tax on mobile phone services and the setting up of a metering device to purportedly check on revenue streams of the telecommunications firms. Read the rest of this entry »