Frequencies of ABS-CBN should only be used by Deped - solon

A lawmaker proposed that the Duterte administration use ABS-CBN's television and radio frequencies for distance learning at the upcoming entrance, after the House panel rejected the network's franchise bid.



According to Deputy Speaker Luis Raymond "LRay" Villafuerte Jr., who admitted that he was one of the 70 legislators who voted against the media giant franchise, he filed House Resolution No. 1044 which aims to temporarily use untapped television and radio frequencies that are no longer available to ABS-CBN, to help the Department of Education implement "blended" modes of learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Villafuerte added that the former frequencies used by ABS-CBN will help in areas not reached by digital infrastructure, such as some communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM).

Apart from this, the same frequencies can also be used for COVID-19 information dissemination.

Villafuerte did not explain how the government can use the frequencies, whether it will install transmitters nationwide or pay ABS-CBN to use their transmitters.