BAGUIO CITY – The City Council opposed the application of a media company to operate a digital terrestrial television broadcast station in the city following the repeated failure of the proponents to appear before the body to explain their proposal.
The local legislative body also passed a resolution that expressed disappointment on the failure of the officials of GHT Network, Inc. to shed light on their pending application and for their failure of the company to heed its invitation for the sixth time.
Earlier, the local legislative body received a notice of hearing from the Quezon City-based National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) regarding the request for the issuance of a certificate of public convenience (CPC) to install, operate and maintain digital terrestrial television broadcast station in the city and for the issuance of the required provisional authority pending final determination of the application.
It can be recalled that the Committee on Public Utilities, traffic and Transport Legislation recommended that the local legislative body invite officials of the proponent to appear I during the previous meetings of the council for the company to shed light on the scope of its application among other issues that may arise when the matter will be calendared for deliberations.
However, the council agreed that the failure of the company officials to appear in one of its previous meetings only shows their lack of interest considering that they were given sufficient opportunity to do so but they failed to appear during the five times that they were invited by the body.
Despite the council’s request to lawyer Jenny Lynne T. Fullante, legal counsel of GHT Network, Inc., to appear during one of its regular session, no GHT official showed up when the same was calendared for deliberations last Monday, thus, the enactment of the resolution stating the local government’s vehement opposition to the application to operate a digital terrestrial television broadcast station in the city.
Previously, the council had been receiving various notices of hearing from the NTC regarding the applications filed by different media entities to operate digital terrestrial television broadcast stations in the city but similar applications were opposed because of the failure of the company officials to appear before the members of the local legislative body and present the necessary studies that support their applications to operate state-of-the-art broadcast stations in the city.
The approved resolution will be forwarded by the local legislative body to the NTC and the management of GHT Network, Inc. for their information, guidance and further needed action in case the company intends to appeal the opposition raised against its application.
The local legislative body that the opposition it raised to the various applications to operate similar broadcast stations in the city due to the failure of their representatives to justify their applications will serve as a clear message to future proponents on the need for them to heed the council’s invitation to explain the scope pf their proposal and the feasibility of their project in the city in the future.
The operation of digital terrestrial television broadcast stations in the city is viewed to be a significant development in providing residents with alternative sources of entertainment and news and public affairs. By Dexter A. See
