ABS-CBN Franchise: NTC made this recent move
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a Cease and Desist Order against ABS-CBN on Tuesday.
ABS-CBN is faced with a great controversy since last year when the franchise issue became a hot topic, especially when President Rodrigo Duterte vocally expressed his side about this.
However, supporters of the Kapamilya network rallied behind the network that has been part of many Filipino lives for several decades. The fight of the TV network to renew its franchise even faced a big hurdle when Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a petition before the Supreme Court to revoke the existing franchise of ABS-CBN.
The franchise expired on May 4 and Calida warned the NTC after it granted provisional authority (PA) to the TV network. “There is no such law giving the NTC or any other agency the power to grant franchises to broadcasting entities,” the SolGen said in a previous report.
On May 5, the commission issued a cease and desist against ABS-CBN. In the official statement, “NTC directed ABS-CBN to stop operating its various TV and radio broadcasting stations nationwide ‘absent a valid Congressional Franchise as required by law.'”
It was also stated that the network was given 10 days to “respond as to why the frequencies assigned to it should not be recalled.”
The commission also cited that ABS-CBN’s radio stations should also follow the orders stated in the Radio Control Law, Act No. 3846. Since the RA 7966, which granted the franchise of ABS-CBN, has already expired, the network no longer has a valid Congressional franchise.
Here is the full statement.
FOLLOW-UP: ABSCBN Franchise: Senators React To NTC’s Order to Stop Broadcast
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