Osmeña wants NTC to regulate texting

FORMER Senator John Osmeña, principal author of R.A. 7925 that ushered in the widespread use of cellular phones, filed a petition to compel the National Telecommunication Commission to issue an order defining short messaging service to regulate cellphone texting.

Osmeña, a senatorial bet of the Genuine Opposition, filed the petition after the NTC failed to impose sanctions on a major mobile company for defying the agency’s order to reinstate its old promo for text pricing.

Osmeña’s petition gives impetus to the Supreme Court ruling of July 26, 2004 mandating the agency to issue a memorandum order before it can regulate text messaging.

The effect of the legal provision is to lower the cost of texting or even make it free, Osmeña said.

He said that at present, phone companies can increase their text messaging fees at will. He asked the Court of Appeals to order NTC to implement R.A. 7925 or the Public Telecommunication Policy Act of 1995, especially the prohibition of cross subsidies between a telephone company and its mobile provider