Shared fiber conduit rules must ensure reliable connectivity – group

MANILA, Philippines — Consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines supports the proposal to establish national rules for shared underground conduits but said the policy must result in more reliable connectivity for Filipinos.

The Private Sector Advisory Council’s Digital Infrastructure Sector recently presented to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the “One Canal Policy,” which would require telecommunications and utility providers to share a common underground conduit when installing fiber infrastructure.

READ: BIZ BUZZ: One Canal: Groundbreaking rule for telcos

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In a statement on Sunday, CitizenWatch Philippines said the policy should ultimately be measured by whether it reduces service disruptions for consumers.

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“Consumers bear the consequences regardless of which company owns the damaged cable,” CitizenWatch Philippines co-convenor Tim Abejo said.

“Clear responsibility is critical. The rules should identify who maintains shared facilities, who acts when infrastructure is damaged, and how service providers keep affected subscribers properly informed during an outage,” he said.

Abejo said implementing shared fiber conduits must also include clear engineering, safety, and road-restoration standards to reduce unnecessary excavation and inconvenience.

READ: Telcos back rules on shared fiber conduits

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CitizenWatch said shared infrastructure rules must be fair, transparent, and technically sound to encourage network expansion rather than create new barriers to competition.

“A shared conduit policy can make broadband infrastructure more efficient and resilient. But its real value will be seen in the experience of consumers: fewer disruptions, quicker recovery when problems occur, and reliable connectivity reaching more communities across the country,” it said. /mcm