Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 13) – The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) regarding a non-operational internet quality measuring system and unused network coverage monitoring and disaster response tools.
In its annual audit report released last June 28, state auditors said the Fixed and Mobile Broadband Benchmarking System or NETMESH has not been utilized in Region 12.
NETMESH, a product of the agreement between NTC and the Department of Science and Technology-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), is a system that will assess the service quality of internet service providers (ISPs) in the country.
The NETMESH project has a price tag of ₱39.6 million based on the memorandum of agreement signed by the two government agencies in 2018.
NTC explained to COA that the programs and applications of the system were not operational during its testing phase. They said they were also advised by DOST-ASTI to temporarily stop the use of equipment in NETMESH.
State auditors also noted the NTC validated only 18 out of 133 barangays in Region 1 and performed speed test in just one location in Region 4-A.
“While the guidelines required the average speed of the total measurements/validation conducted, the reliability and validity of these reports are not dependable as these do not prove the actual speed measurement/condition of a certain place or locality, hence defeating the purpose of measuring the quality of experience of regular users of mobile broadband,” state auditors said in its report.
COA also mentioned that NETMESH has been inaccessible from September 2021 to the first quarter of 2022 and it is currently undergoing maintenance.
The NTC also tapped speed test application Ookla to comply with its broadband validation.
“With the huge amount of money allotted for the speed validation and measurement, as well as the development of the application/browser NETMESH, the output should have provided inputs to the NTC for the enhancement of its policies and regulations for the improvement of the internet connectivity in the country, and that the subscribers/users are getting the best possible service from these ISPs,” the report read.
COA ordered NTC to make a request to DOST-ASTI to hasten the maintenance of NETMESH and formulate or amend guidelines on measurement of broadband speed and fixed connectivity.
Meanwhile, the state audit body also took notice of the unused ₱8 million worth of network coverage monitoring and disaster response tools.
The ₱4.8 million Multiband Network Scanning Receiver and Post Processing Tool and the ₱3.2 million Rapidly Deployable Communication Equipment bought by NTC regional offices in Region 1 and 4-A have been found idle as of Dec. 31, 2021.
The Multiband Network Scanning Receiver and Post Processing Tool is meant to measure the network coverage in a specific area, while the Rapidly Deployable Communication Equipment is used in places where network infrastructure is damaged during disasters.
COA said the NTC failed to issue guidelines on how the regional offices will use those tools.
“Though the purposes for which the equipment are to be used for are in line with the mission of NTC of maintaining a responsive regulatory environment for an effective telecommunications/JCT sector, it is rendered futile absent the guidelines and instructions on its proper usage, not to mention the wastage of government resources,” state auditors said.
The COA report noted that NTC agreed to release guidelines and train personnel in the said regional offices on how to use the equipment.
