The Irony of Data Cap and Digital Television

Despite the ongoing developments and improvements made by local telecommunications companies, the biggest problem that remains a disappointment to many Filipino internet users is the data cap set by telcos as stated in their Fair Use Policy. In fact, nobody ever knew about the said policy until it was reported in various news items a few years ago, and that makes it an irony for Filipino consumers who want to have quality and enjoyable access to the World Wide Web regardless of the device they are using.

In my case, I think having 800 MB of data everyday is just fine for me considering that I want to subscribe to an unlimited internet promo for either my smartphone or my computer. I have been exerting many ways to consume it carefully before having the Internet slow down until midnight. In fact, most of the time consuming this is taking it light and casual with free Facebook and limited access to various sites as a big bonus so that I don't need to worry about the irony. For many consumers, I think live streaming of videos are the real culprits behind what they are experiencing now. Data caps are not bad; you just have to know how to keep up with it like you are preparing your own budget.

Meanwhile, the implementation of digital television transition in the Philippines remains imminent as local television stations continue to test their digital broadcast while local mobile brands are starting to release DTV-capable devices for consumers. Despite the efforts of local broadcasters on preparing for the digital shift, many consumers have been encountering problems regarding digital television, especially when it comes to their favorite channels. I don't blame them because they did not understand that these problems are not the fault of what they have bought, but of the broadcasters themselves. And since it is still in its infancy stage, we are hopeful that these ongoing efforts would not go to waste once our analog TV broadcasts become obsolete by the year 2020.