Colombia. MinTIC held the closing hearing of the presentation of proposals and opening of envelopes for the award of concessions of community broadcasters. The process, which began on October 21 and ended on November 25 at noon, resulted in the filing of 632 applications by organized communities.
For the Ministry, this figure demonstrates the interest in increasing the channels of access to information and strengthening the use of media with a social focus for the benefit of the regions of Colombia.
During the hearing, the public opening of each of the envelopes was carried out, which must meet the requirements required by Call 001 of 2019 to be able to operate a new community station. From this moment, MinTIC begins the evaluation process and soon the viability of the selected frequencies will be issued.
The number of proposals received exceeds the current number of existing community stations in the country (627), which demonstrates the need for communities to create new communication channels that promote citizen participation and the strengthening of cultural identity. At the end of the week we will have the final number of proposals, taking into account that some applicants sent their documentation through certified mail, this being an open call that promotes territorial development.
During the coming weeks, the MinTIC will evaluate the proposals received and on December 27 of this year the concessions of the new community broadcasters will be awarded.
