NTC orders ABS-CBN to cease operations after congressional franchise expires

May 5, 2020

 

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Tuesday ordered ABS-CBN Corp. to stop operations due to the expiration of its congressional franchise.

In an order issued Tuesday, the NTC directed ABS-CBN to stop operating its various TV and radio broadcasting stations nationwide “absent a valid Congressional Franchise as required by law.”

ABS-CBN Convergence’s franchise expired last March 17, 2020, while ABS-CBN Corp’s franchise ended on May 4, 2020.

ABS-CBN was  given ten days from receipt of the order to say why the frequencies assigned to it should not be recalled, NTC said,

The NTC Regional Offices shall implement the closure order in their respective areas of jurisdiction.

After getting ABS-CBN’s reply, the NTC shall schedule the case for hearing after the Enhanced Community Quarantine is lifted by the government.

ABS-CBN and subsidiaries had 6,730 regular employees, 900 non-regular employees and 3,325 talents and project-based employees as of 2018. DMS