House Moves to Protect Consumers With Internet Data Rollover Bill
A new proposal from the House of Representatives is stirring interest among internet users in the Philippines. Lawmakers have approved House Bill 87 on its third and final reading, a measure that aims to stop the long-standing practice of losing paid but unused data every time a promo or plan expires.
The bill received full support with all 222 members voting yes, showing how important fair data usage has become in an online-driven country.
Instead of letting unused gigabytes disappear each month, the bill wants internet service providers to carry over all remaining prepaid or postpaid data until the end of the year. The only condition is that subscribers must renew their plan or promo when it expires. If anything is still left by December, that leftover data can be turned into rebates that can help pay for next year’s subscription.
The authors of the measure, Cavite representatives Ramon “Jolo” Revilla III and Lani Mercado Revilla, along with Agimat Partylist representative Bryan Revilla, say the current system is unfair. Many postpaid users lose data they already paid for while prepaid users often buy new promos even if they still have unused allocations, just so they can stay connected. For them, the bill is about giving consumers the full value of what they pay for.
They also believe that data rollover can help widen digital access, especially for students, remote employees, and small business owners who depend heavily on reliable online services. Families who rely on internet access for work, school, and communication are also expected to benefit.
The proposal includes reminders for users as well. If a subscriber forgets to renew their plan within five days after expiry, 20 percent of their unused data will be deducted. Failing to renew after that grace period means the entire remaining data will be forfeited.
Now that HB 87 has passed the House, it will move to the Senate. A counterpart bill will still need approval there before the measure can officially become law.
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