‘Broadband connectivity a must for all buildings’

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The Philippine Star

February 27, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  A consumer advocacy group has urged legislators to update the obsolete National Building Code and explicitly require broadband connectivity as a standard in all public and private buildings.

 CitizenWatch Philippines co-convenor and former Quezon City congressman Kit Belmonte said digital infrastructure provisions must be included into the Senate measure to be aligned with the government’s initiatives for inclusive internet connectivity.

“We fully support efforts to modernize the National Building Code,” Belmonte said. “But the pending Senate bill must go further. It must clearly require mandatory digital infrastructure provisions both in new and existing buildings. Otherwise, we are reforming for safety but ignoring connectivity, which is now just as essential.”

 Belmonte said internet access should be treated as a basic utility.

“Internet connectivity is now an indispensable tool. It is a basic human right in a digital economy,” he said. “A building without reliable internet and mobile signal is like a building with plumbing but no water supply. It limits opportunity.”

CitizenWatch is pushing for the Senate measure to include mandatory in-building physical infrastructure such as dedicated risers, pathways, and equipment spaces, as well as fiber-optic cabling capable of supporting high-capacity and high-speed requirements. The group also wants provisions requiring strong indoor mobile signal, including in-building solutions in high-rise and high-density developments.

“Connectivity must be accessed wherever the user is,” Belmonte said. “We can build cell towers across the country, but if signals die at the walls of condominiums, offices, or malls, the last mile collapses. That is where many Filipinos live and work.”

The group is also advocating a “zero lease” or fair-access policy to prevent excessive charges on telecommunications providers for installing facilities inside buildings.

“Building owners should not impose unreasonable lease fees that ultimately raise costs for consumers,” said Belmonte. “The law must ensure fair, non-discriminatory access and prevent exclusive arrangements that limit a resident’s choice of provider.”

Belmonte emphasized that future-proofing buildings by design would prevent expensive retrofits later.

“Buildings constructed today will stand for 50 years or more,” he said. “If we fail to embed fiber-ready and telco-ready standards now, we are locking in decades of avoidable digital gaps.”

He added that stronger in-building connectivity would directly support national programs such as the National Broadband Program and Free WiFi for All.