Representative Brian Poe has confirmed the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) commitment to connect all target schools of the Department of Education (DepEd) by December. During a budget hearing for the 2026 General Appropriations Bill, Poe stated that DICT aims to meet this goal by the end of the year.
This commitment aligns with a pledge made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address to address the digital divide in education. For the government, being “connected” means adhering to specific performance criteria. Schools utilizing low Earth orbit satellites must achieve a minimum download speed of 5 megabytes per second and an upload speed of 1 to 2 megabytes per second.
DICT is actively monitoring compliance and working with service providers to ensure these standards are met. Poe mentioned that if any sites are found to be underperforming, DICT is open to addressing these issues with the service providers to ensure quality service for the Filipino people.
Additionally, outdated networks are being phased out. Poe noted that DICT plans to eliminate old technologies like 2G and 3G, allowing only newer technologies such as LTE and 5G by next year.
This initiative is supported by significant funding, with the 2025 national budget including the largest Wi-Fi appropriation in Philippine history—5 billion pesos in automatic annual funding, along with an additional 2.5 billion pesos allocated last year as a presidential priority. Of this, 1.5 billion pesos is earmarked to meet the December connectivity target, with another 1.5 billion pesos proposed for the 2026 budget to connect the remaining 12,139 DepEd schools.
While sustainability is a concern, Poe expressed optimism that the budget will provide maintenance and operating funds to support the connections established in schools. He emphasized the importance of this commitment, reiterating that it is a priority for both the president and DICT.
Looking ahead, DICT plans to maintain progress by institutionalizing performance-based connectivity, retiring legacy networks, and securing operational funding.
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Source:
https://technology.inquirer.net/143275/rep-poe-dict-on-track-to-link-all-deped-schools-to-internet-by-december
