Proposal to use ABS-CBN's frequency for blended learning, costly and not necessary

Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte offers the idea of temporarily using the frequency of ABS-CBN to be used in the blended learning which will be undertaken by the Department of Education (DepEd).

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However, the proposed temporary use for distance learning of the TV and radio frequencies that were assigned to ABS-CBN Corporation is "not necessary," a lawmaker said.

Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman said that temporary use of the frequencies earlier assigned to ABS-CBN will be costly.

"There is no need to use ABS-CBN’s frequencies for distance learning because the government has so much television frequencies in PTV-4 and IBC-13 and also AM/FM radio frequencies in the Philippine Broadcast Service," Lagman said, referring to the state-run television station People’s Television Network, Inc. and the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp., as well as state radio stations.

"Using ABS-CBN’s frequencies can be expensive because towers, transmitters, and allied infrastructures would have to be constructed and there is also the requirement of public bidding, as well as the need for engineers," he said.

The lawmaker also said that DepEd does not appear prepared to use broadcast content in their “blended” learning program. The agency does not have the capability to produce this content in the short time between now and the projected Aug. 24 opening of schools.

Lagman added that distance learning "should ideally be interactive", particularly via the internet using apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams which do not need broadcast frequencies.

"The government has an existing free Wi-Fi project which can be used for distance learning," he said, referring to the Free Internet Wi-Fi Connectivity which covers subscription of broadband connectivity for free public use.

Lagman said this is funded by fees collected by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) from telecommunications companies.

"The implementing agency is the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)," he said.

The proposal of Villafuerte came days after the denial of ABS-CBN's renewal of franchise by the House of Representatives halting the operations of the network amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He was one of the 70 who voted against the network's franchise renewal.