Gov’t might “temporarily” use ABS-CBN’s former frequencies for “effective distance learning”

Not even a week after the House voted for ABS-CBN’s franchise denial, House deputy speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte has already filed House Resolution No. 1044 wherein he recommends the temporary use of the media network’s former TV and radio frequencies to reinforce distance learning.

https://twitter.com/NAMercadoINQ/status/1283242145206267905?s=20

According to the resolution, this is to address the “inequality and inaccessibility of opportunities such as those pertaining to internet connectivity and possession of a laptop” and is “especially useful in areas not yet reached by digital infrastructure.”

British charity Save the Children chief executive Inger Ashing announced that around 10 million children “may never return to school” if not given ample support for distance learning. The World Bank meanwhile reported that around 1.6 billion youth around the world will be “out of school.”

Villafuerte also suggested other possible uses besides distance learning. “The unused frequencies may also be used for information on COVID-19 prevention and control, risk reduction and preparedness,” he said.

The deputy speaker voted for the media network’s franchise denial.

Header photo by Edwin Bacasmas for inquirer.net

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