Signal shutoff affects transmission of mock poll results

CEBU, Philippines — The signal shutoff because of the fiesta activities affected the transmission of the mock elections vote results yesterday even with a satellite-based technology that served as a backup plan.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) spent about three hours in troubleshooting the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN).

No cables are needed for it to be connected to the internet because it uses the three satellites orbiting Earth according to its developer, Inmarsat.

“Because of the Sinulog nga naay signal jam or shutdown, naapektuhan gyud ang atong signal sa BGAN,” said Provincial Election Supervisor Jerome Brilliantes. (The Sinulog signal jam or shutdown has really affected the BGAN.)

The Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBOC) was not able to confirm if the Cebu City Board of Canvassers experienced the same dilemma due to the signal jam.

Brilliantes said that they were expecting that the BGAN can be used in case there is no cellular site signal or digital subscriber line (DSL) available in an area.

The mock polls were conducted in Cebu City and Santander town. The voting started at 6 a.m. and ended at noon.

However, it was only at 2:50 p.m. that the PBOC was able to receive the VCM results and forwarded it to Comelec Central Office.

“We could not receive from Santander and we couyuld send data to Manila,” Brilliantes said.

Instead of taking the glitch as a failure, the election lawyer said that it was an opportunity for Comelec to draft corrective measures in case something similar happens on election day.

When asked why the BGAN did not work immediately, Brillantes explained that they were having trouble in ‘positioning’ it.

“To connect to the satellite, a BGAN terminal must have line-of-sight to one of the 3 BGAN satellites, meaning there can’t be any trees, walls, or building between the terminal and the satellite. Often, a BGAN terminal is placed outside, but it can be inside and point through a window if the satellite can be seen,” explained Inmarsat in a briefer.

Comelec was only able to transmit data when the BGAN was brought outside the Capitol building.

Despite the glitch, Brilliantes remarked that the mock elections were successful.

“All factors are well and good except for the transmission,” he said.

He said there is no need to hold another mock poll before the May 2019 elections as the objectives for the test have been met namely, testing the transparency of their processes, the accuracy of the VCM, educating the voters what to do during the actual voting, and checking of the transmission process. —/MBG (FREEMAN)