Home Cable returns GMA-7 to original channel assignment

Philippine Home Cable Holdings (Home Cable) has decided to return GMA-7 to channel 12 from channel 14 in its system today, Jan. 8.

In a letter to GMA network engineering group head Antonio Leduna, Home Cable vice president for engineering Michael Nestor Martir informed the Network of their decision to return GMA-7’s channel assignment effective 12:01a.m. of Jan. 8, 2004.

Home Cable’s move came after SkyCable, upon the order of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), returned GMA-7 to channel 12 last Dec. 8. SkyCable faced an indefinite suspension of its authority to operate in key cities in Metro Manila had it failed to return GMA-7 to its original channel assignment.

The NTC, in a unanimous order dated Nov. 28, 2003, directed SkyCable to comply with its decision dated April 25, where the commission found the respondent "of having violated the provisions of Memorandum Circular 4-08-88 by arbitrarily changing channel assignments of KBP members’ TV stations."

Since GMA-7 was arbitrarily and unilaterally transferred to channel 14 by both Sky and Home cables in February 2003, the network started to receive numerous reports of signal distortion on cable TV from its cable subscriber-viewers, prompting the network and other KBP member TV stations to pursue various cases against the dominant cable service providers. – Mary Ann Reyes