Davao City Representatives Paolo “Pulong” Duterte and Omar Vincent S. Duterte have filed House Bill No. 7027, seeking to strengthen consumer protection by mandating automatic refunds or billing adjustments for prolonged internet and telecommunications service interruptions.
The measure, titled the “Refund for Internet and Telecommunications Service Outages and Disruptions Act,” proposes amendments to Republic Act No. 7925, or the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines, to ensure that subscribers are charged only for services actually delivered.
The father-and-son lawmakers noted that despite existing policies encouraging innovation and network expansion, internet services in the Philippines remain costly and unreliable.
They also cited persistent issues such as frequent service disruptions and inconsistent connection quality affecting millions of users nationwide.
Referring to the 2025 Surfshark Digital Quality of Life Index, the lawmakers pointed out that the Philippines ranked 57th globally, with internet affordability placing much lower at 105th.
They added that in late 2024 and early 2025, the country continued to rank among the most expensive in Southeast Asia for fixed broadband services, with average monthly costs reaching about P2,049, while service consistency remained a major concern.
The House Bill No. 7027 seeks to require telecommunications companies and internet service providers (ISPs) to automatically grant refunds or bill adjustments to both postpaid and prepaid subscribers who experience a total service outage of at least 24 hours within a single billing month.
According to the proposed bill, refunds would be computed on a pro-rated basis and issued without the need for subscribers to file complaints or claims.
“Filipinos should not have to go through long and tedious processes just to get compensated for poor service. By making refunds automatic, this measure protects consumers’ rights and pushes providers to improve reliability in a digital economy that millions of Filipinos now depend on every day,” Rep. Omar said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Pulong explained that the bill aims to restore fairness by shifting the burden away from consumers.
“If people are paying for uninterrupted service, then service providers must be held accountable when that standard is not met,” he added.
The lawmakers expressed optimism that the proposed legislation would compel telecommunications companies to enhance service reliability, improve transparency, and help rebuild public trust in the country’s digital infrastructure.
