Thursday, November 21, 2024

Tag: National Telecommunications Commission

5 NorMin radio stations face closure over expired franchise

Posted on by cmn

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (November 28, 2023, 8:55 pm) – Five radio stations in Northern Mindanao are subject to a cease and desist order (CDO) after their franchises were not renewed

National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) – Region 10 Director Teodoro Buenavista Jr. said their recent decision called for the closure of the five radio stations under the Fairwaves Broadcasting Network here.
“Fairwaves applied for renewal in 2018, but the House of Representatives did not move it from the committee level,” Buenavista said in an interview on Tuesday.
Fairwaves first obtained its 25-year franchise in 1995 under Republic Act 8113.
An earlier NTC decision this year recommended the recall of the frequencies assigned to Fairwaves.
The decision listed 30 stations under Fairwaves all over the country, including in this city, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon.
Most station names under Fairwaves carry the station name Radyo Bandera.
On Nov. 24, Radyo Bandera Iligan was among the 14 business establishments locked down by the local government for allegedly operating without business permits.
Jeoffrey Baconga, manager at DXFI FM Radyo Bandera in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, said their operations will not be affected by the CDO because the network is now under an agreement with a new franchise operator, Palawan Broadcasting.
He said the chief executive officer of the Radyo Bandera network, Sultan Lope, is aware of the NTC decision.
Baconga added that all Bandera stations are expected to operate under Palawan Broadcasting and no longer under Fairwaves. (Nef Luczon/PNA)

NTC to look into ‘syndicate’ behind telco modus in Mindanao

Posted on by cmn

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The National Telecommunications Commission in Northern Mindanao (NTC-10) said last February 27, 2023, that it will conduct an investigation on the involvement of individuals or groups claiming to represent telecommunication companies (telcos) in order to infiltrate private premises

NTC-10 Director Teodoro Buenavista Jr. said these individuals may be linked to a wider network or syndicate operating not only in the region but throughout Mindanao.

“We have a relative who experienced this lately; some individuals claiming to be from a telco but when verified, they were not associated with any firm,” he said in an interview here.

Buenavista noted that telecommunications giant PLDT-Smart warned the public recently about the modus operandi.

In a statement, the telco raised concerns about rising incidents of unauthorized modem collection in General Santos City, Cotabato, and Zamboanga areas.

Cathy Yang, First Vice President and Group Head of Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart, said customers should only transact with authorized PLDT personnel, especially inside their premises, and always check for proper identification in case of doubt.

“PLDT personnel will never collect modems from customers without replacing them first. Our campaign is part of PLDT Group’s strengthening of its asset protection efforts as part of a broader program to elevate the quality of customer experience,” she said.

In a similar incident, city resident Karen Laisa shared that some individuals claiming to represent another telco were asking her parents for a copy of the land title and map of their residence for a supposed installation of a satellite tower.

“The process was easy because they said it was in a rush due to a target deadline,” she said.

She also said her parents were told to pay PHP7,500 as a “notarial fee” after a contract signing.

Upon verification with NTC-10, the telco in question denied such operations existed and that no such project is taking place as of the moment. (Nef Luczon/PNA)

NTC-10 accelerates SIM reg with free Wi-Fi caravan in NorMin

Posted on by cmn

CAGAYAN DE ORO — To avoid the mandated deactivation of unregistered SIM cards of citizens from remote areas of the Philippines, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has organized a caravan to accelerate the SIM registration scale in Northern Mindanao

The NTC has teamed up with SMART Telecom to offer free Wi-Fi at the caravan. This is to help people in the area who can’t register their SIM cards because they don’t have access to the internet.

The caravan will make its way through 40 priority areas identified by the NTC for SIM registration. Four out of these 40 areas have just recently been covered; the schedule of the succeeding areas is yet to be announced.

Aside from the caravan, SMART Telecom also helps people register their SIM cards in their Cagayan de Oro stores.

“Tanan nato SMART stores dinhi maka-assist sa atong mga kauban. Kung wala mo’y smartphone, sa mga booth nato, naa ta’y gamiton nga cellphone para sa photo pero dili na namo ma-keep sa among phone because the whole process is done dadto sa website so dili siya ma-save sa phone; just an assurance for data privacy,” Said Judee Chaves, Mindanao relations head of Smart Communications, Inc. during the Talakayan sa PIA at SM Downtown CDO, February 7.

(All our SMART stores here [Cagayan de Oro] can assist our registrants. We have cellphones at our booths if you don’t have a smartphone; however, because the entire process is done on the website, your photo [and other data] will not be saved in the phone; this is just a privacy assurance)

At the same event, Vixter Abaday, telecom engineer of NTC, clarified that the purpose of the caravan is to help those in far-flung areas, especially those who struggle with internet access, register their SIMs with the assistance of the NTC and SMART Telecom.

“Kung kita nga naa ta’y access sa internet, there’s no need na nga muadto [sa caravan]. Kung naa ta’y Wi-Fi or naa tay data, pwede ra ta makarehistro. Kaning [caravan] sa mga remote areas, that is supposedly intended para sa mga subscribers nga wala’y access sa internet—galisod og access sa internet. Mao man ang katuyuan kay unsaon ug parehistro kung wala sila’y access sa internet?” said Abaday.

(If we have access to the internet, there’s no need to go to the caravan. If we have Wi-Fi or mobile data, we can already register. This caravan in remote areas is ostensibly intended for subscribers who do not have or are having difficulty gaining access to the internet. This is the point, because how can people register if they don’t have access to the internet?)

They both further confirmed that the SIM registration assistance is open to all Telecom subscribers. (TAAG/PIA-10)

NTC leads SIM reg in remote Bukidnon villages

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PANGANTUCAN, Bukidnon — Over 300 villagers, mainly from the town’s outlying areas, registered their SIM cards, on January 25, in Pangantucan, Bukidnon, as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)-10, in partnership with Globe, Smart, and DITO telcos, launched the Facilitated Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration

This is part of the government’s nationwide SIM registration campaign, which aims to serve people living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

Mayor Miguel A. Silva Jr. of Pangantucan town said SIM registration would solve the town’s problem of anonymous death threats.

“Extortion is one of the problems here in town. The blackmailer’s ploy is to demand a certain amount. If you don’t give them [extortionists] the required sum, you will receive a death threat from an unknown texter or caller,” the mayor said.

Engr. Joel Siladan, NTC-10’s Enforcement and Operations Division chief, explained that all used SIMs must be registered before the deadline to avoid SIM deactivation.

“All SIMs must be registered for continuous use because all unregistered SIMs will be electronically deactivated after the deadline, which is April 26,” Siladan said.

Atty. Joanne Marie Pacuribot of NTC-10 also emphasized that there is no penalty for unregistered SIM cards, but these will be automatically deactivated by the telecommunications companies (telcos).

Annabella Talaugon, one of those who completed the SIM card registration process, thanked the NTC for the opportunity.

“Salamat NTC sa gihatud nga serbisyo aron marehistro ang akong SIM card. Kadaghan na man gud ko nag-try sa online pero di gyud ko makasulod kay hinay kaayo ang signal didto sa among barangay. (Thank you, NTC, for allowing me to register my SIM card. I tried going online several times but was unable to connect because the signal in our barangay is extremely slow),” Talaugon said. (BGE/PIA-10/Bukidnon)