Telcos told to put up assistance booths in city
City officials want the different telecommunication companies to put up assistance booths at the People’s Park and other feasible places in the city to assist subscribers in the registration of their respective subscriber identity module (SIM) cards pursuant to the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 11934, otherwise known as the SIM Registration Act and its implementing rules and regulations.
Under Resolution No. 023, series of 2023, local legislators stated that it is in the interest of the general public that the telecommunication companies in the city provide the necessary means to enable the public to comply with the SIM card online registration in compliance with the law and Memorandum Circular No. 001-12-2022.
Earlier, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued on December 12, 2022 the implementing rules and regulations of RA 11934 through Memorandum Circular No. 001-12-2022 that officially commenced on December 27, 2022 the SIM card registration pursuant to the said law.
The law provides that among the obligations of public telecommunications entities include the establishment of their own secured online SIM registration platforms.
The Council pointed out this said obligation means that the online registration platform shall be user-friendly and easy to use for the benefit of registering subscribers/end users.
Further, public telecommunication entities shall also provide additional means to assist persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, pregnant women, and/or persons with special needs in registering their respective SIM cards.
According to the Council, public telecommunication entities shall also include procedures to verify the data and information submitted and presented by the registering subscribers/end users.
The body asserted that the said law was enacted to end unwanted and phone-based scams arbitrarily sent to subscribers.
However, the Council admitted that the SIM card registration proved to be a challenge to subscribers who lack the technical know-how or whose internet signal is intermittent/weak. – Dexter A. See