'Loading pa rin?' Senate urged to probe 'slow, expensive' Internet  

The Senate should investigate why consumers are paying "steep" prices for "poor" Internet connectivity in the country, Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV said Tuesday.

In a statement, Aquino said the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) should provide a "logical and clear explanation" of why Internet costs in the Philippines are higher than those of its Southeast Asian neighbors, such as Singapore and Thailand, even though connections in the country are "slow and sometimes unreliable."

“There are constant complaints about the provider’s failure to deliver on its promised connection speed, which usually leads to slow Internet link,” the neophyte senator said.

Aquino will file a Senate resolution next month to formalize his proposal, his office said.

The senator likewise said that the Senate should ponder ways to improve the Philippines' Internet infrastructure, which he said is vital to the country's economic growth.

An infographic posted online earlier this month showed how the Philippines lags behind all its other Asian neighbors in terms of Internet speed. 

In 2011, the United Nations recognized Internet access as a human right.