This time, I would like to post something about the very critical issue of the proposed National Broadband Network project of the government as part of its plan to make a cyber-corridor in the country.
I won't tackle anything about the controversy but I would prefer the project much as a focus because with all the things and accusations going on right now with those different people involved from brokers to fixers to media people and senators, I believe in what Senator Joker Arroyo told during the investigation that the whole thing is a "battle of the fixers". I mean if you would try to look at the situation of any controversies that sprung up in our country from the 2004 elections to the Nursing Exam leak and now the ZTE NBN deal, those who lost and cannot accept defeats would always end up as the whistle blowers telling the people that they wanted to be an instrument of change for the system and all those things but what the people does not know is that they are already used to that kind of system and they have been practicing that. I tell you, whether what kind of citizen you are of this country, I know your used to it or if not- your blinded by it.
Regarding the national broadband project, here is my simple opinion about the thing.
I've been using the internet since I was in my first year high school at home when somebody offered to install a dial up connection on my then PC so probably I've tried it all. From dial up, yeah those cards you scratched up like prepaid where in I could only buy them if I go to Naga City before it became available at our own market and up to those DSL they are advertising on television, I've used them all. I've already known what is best and what is the fastest among those providers. I tell you, I've been to different and hundreds of internet cafe's here in the metro and whether what type of internet provider they are using, they probably offer the same thing-internet connection at your fingertips.
You may say that DSL or broadband has been God's mercy to the technology world but I tell you, when things got screwed up while you are doing something on the internet, things would get a little scripted. Yeah, like those in movies wherein people have the same words. What I'm trying to say is that no matter what the provider you are subscribing to, when the connection messed up, you'll hear the same lines from them. Examples are "sir, we are currently having a technical problem", "sir, we are currently experiencing problems on our base station", "sir, could you please wait for 15 minutes before you connect to the internet again because we are currently having our service maintenance right now". Come on, you have probably heard one of those crappy lines those customer service representatives have been telling their customers for almost 8 hours in their day-to-day lives. Those providers do the best advertisements in the television with all those propaganda techniques in order for them to let people believe that theirs is fast but the customer service and manpower have always been the same whether you are using SMART Bro, Globe Broadband, PLDT MyDSL, and so on and so forth.
My point is that regarding the national broadband project, it would be the same if not worse. The service that the government would render to its customers which are mainly students as they proposed would be the question especially that they are as I say "government people". What if something went wrong while those public school students are accessing the internet, then what would happen? Are they going to call you and how fast would you be able to respond to the student's needs? Are you going to fix a simple technical glitch with an under the table expense? How about the issue on red tape? Is it applicable in the service you would provide especially that it has been practiced in all those government agencies we have right now?
The problem in this idea of the government is the trust and mentality of the people about the government itself. The first thing they should take into consideration is how they could provide the service in the good of all those people involved. How they would anticipate uncommon things must be taken into consideration especially that this is a very ambitious plan. In the end, whether this project succeed or not, it is the literacy of the people that is sacrificed in all these controversies. The goal of improving the education and beefing up knowledge is a great idea but the idea would always end up in question of how.
.jpg)
