VENEZUELA COURT ORDERS SEIZURE OF AT&T ASSETS

The Venezuela Supreme Court has ordered the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) to "take possession" of all property and equipment used in the transmission of AT&T-owned DirecTV's services -- which account for 45 percent of the subscription TV market in Venezuela, according to official figures.

In its May 22, 2020 order, the court said the armed forces would help secure the assets and 20 armed National Guard troopers immediately secured the entrance to the DirecTV Tower in southeast Caracas, the Agence France Presse (AFP) confirmed.

The move comes a day after Texas-based AT&T announced it was ending DirecTV operations in Venezuela and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed President Nicolas Maduro for the development.

AT&T explained that US sanctions banned the transmission of the private television news network Globovision and PDVSA TV, the channel of the Venezuelan state oil company. It said the transmission of both channels was a condition imposed by the Maduro government in order to grant a pay TV license in Venezuela. Maduro, many of his top government allies and PDVSA are all subject to US sanctions, AFP said.