ABS-CBN Franchise Issue: Is 6 Channels In 1 Franchise Illegal?

One ABS-CBN franchise issue is having 6 channels under 1 franchise, is this illegal?

ABS-CBN FRANCHISE ISSUE – Is one of the supposed violations of ABS-CBN having six (6) channels under one (1) franchise illegal?

One of the Federation of International Cable TV and Telecommunication Association of the Philippines (FICTAP) revelations as supposed violation of ABS-CBN network is having 6 channels under 1 franchise. This is being questioned.

Also, the pay-per-view feature and TV Plus digital television box of the giant media network is said to be illegal. However, a group of cable operators refuted this and said that these are not illegal.

Philippine Cable and Telecommunication Association President Ronald Manlapig shares that the a franchise gives frequency of 6 megahertz to a network. And the channels that a frequency can handle depends whether it’s a standard broadcast quality or in high-definition.

He also stressed that due to the advancement of technology nowadays, a channel doesn’t require a separate franchise. And the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), accordingly, has not yet released guidelines regarding pay-per-view services.

Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba also said that the introduction of KBO minus the guidelines has a fine of Php 200.00 and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra indicated that the “commercial purposes” phrase is broad enough. This allows them to charge their viewers a certain fee to watch a movie.

In terms of the issues of their TV Plus, Manlapig stressed as per ABS-CBN report, “Ang buong mundo, nagta-transform na and lumilipat na sa digital. Hindi natin puwedeng mag-stay tayo sa analog.”

The world is now shifting from analog to digital and we should also go the same path of advancement.