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Round Table Discussion
Setting the National Agenda for Internet Cafes
Theme: The Internet Cafes of Tomorrow Developing into a Multi Service Internet Based Business
Introduction
The year 2009 is a great challenge for internet cafe operators in the Philippines. The industry isfacing more and more challenges that what it had faced in the previous years. In the differentpostings in the national forum of internet cafes in the Philippines that could be found in Ulop.net(http://www.ulop.net/) we can summarized these challenges as follows:1.Market Saturation – it has been noticed that more and more people are setting up internetcafes in the different communities around the country.2.Unreasonable Prices - as the number of players increases in a particular area the level ofprices for the services offered by the various internet cafes tend to decrease as they try toattract customers into their internet cafes.3.Competition from Computer Manufacturers and Internet Service Providers – Computerhardware, presence of a robust second hand PC market and internet connection fees are atthe lowest compared to the previous years thus more and more people are able to afford tohave their own computer systems at home.4.Resistance to Change – the internet has provided new opportunities for people wanting toengage in business but it seems that the internet cafe owners would tend to just settle to oldbusiness models which at this time is no longer applicable.5.Lack of Professionalism in the Industry – as more and more people are engaging the internetcafe industry it has been noted that there seems to be a lack of professionalism among itsoperators with the ongoing price wars and total disregard to regulations.6.The Lack of a National Agenda – even though great advances has been made by theindustry, it is still considered to be a backyard industry that there is no national regulationsin place to help the industry. The task of regulating the industry is primarily given to thelocal government units that has no experience or knowledge about it thus it is alwaysclassified as an entertainment center the same level as karaoke bars, restaurants and poolhalls.7.More and more regulations that are being set are now becoming very unrealistic. Thecurrent move of government agencies most especially the local government units withregards to regulating the industry is now becoming unrealistic that instead of providingsupport to the industry, it has actually lead to its decline.Thus, this round table discussion is being called in order to come up with the right environmentin which the internet cafe industry would be given its right prospective and a chance to face thechallenges it faces.
General Objective
Its primary task is to bring together the various players in the industry (internet cafe owners,local and national government units, computer manufacturers and internet service providers) into adiscussion with the hope of creating a national agenda for the internet cafe industry.
Specific Objectives:
This one day round table discussion hopes to attain the following:1.Bring together officers, members and internet cafe operators in Metro Manila and thesorrounding provinces to a forum to discuss matters affecting their operations;
 
2.Connect them with government officials on the national and local levels to discuss programsor activities that will bring about dramatic changes in the internet cafe industry;3.Bring together the internet cafe operators and representatives of other releated industries likecomputer hardware manufaturers and vendors, internet service providers, softwaredevelopers and gaming companies into a forum to discuss ways in which each one couldsupport each other to bring about improvement in the present conditions prevailing in theinternet cafe industry;4.Agree on a national agenda that would pushed by the internet cafe operators through theestablishment of a National Federation of Internet Access Providers that would represent theinterest of the internet cafe operators around the country.5.Start with the preparations of convening the true Internet Cafe Congress in which theinternet cafe owners and icafe organizations nationwide would be invited for the launchingof the National Federation of Internet Access Providers.
Project Propenents:
1.Unified Lanshop Owners of the Philippines (ULOP.net)2.Internet Cafe Association of Imus, Inc3.Global Hosted Operating System(G.ho.st – http://g.ho.st)
Invited Guests:
Officers and Members of the following Internet Cafe Organizations:
Members, Unified Lanshop Owners of the Philippines (ULOP.net)
Internet Cafe Association of Imus, Inc
Internet Cafe Association of Marikina
San Juan City Internet Cafe Owners Association Inc
Manila Internet Cafe Owners Association
Internet Cafe Association of Pasig
Internet Cafe Association of Malabon
Internet Cafe Association of Navotas
Valenzuela Internet Cafe Association
Calamba Computer Business Owners Association
Los Banos Computer Owners and Operators League
Other Internet Cafe Associations that commits to join
National and Local Government Agencies
Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT)
Department of Education (DepEd)
Department of Trade and Industries
Representatives of the local government units – invited internet cafeorganizations/Department of Interior and Local Government
Target Date:
May 20, 2009
Proposed Time:
9:00 a.m – 5:00 pm
Proposed Venue:
Max Restaurant – Makati Commercial Center/ Gateway Mall Cubao
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