The Philippines lag behind peers in terms of affordability, availability, and speed of internet access. The Internet Poverty Index, developed by the World Data Lab, reported that over 58 million Filipinos (52 percent of the population) are “internet poor” and find it challenging to afford a basic package of mobile internet. The digital divide is particularly stark outside of Luzon, where the Visayas (63 percent) and Mindanao (77 percent) have the highest percentage of individuals without internet access. The 2019 National Information and Communications Technology Household Survey found that while 77.1 percent of individuals have used cellphones, 75.8 percent of individuals have not used computers, 62.6 percent have not used the internet, and 54 percent were not aware that financial transactions can be performed online. Telecommunication operators were only present in 54.5 percent of barangays (i.e., the smallest administrative unit) but for Mindanao the number drops to 44 percent. Most barangays did not have telecommunication towers (63.7 percent), and only 28.2 percent of barangays have fiber optic cable installed.