Colombia. The ICT Ministry of Colombia published the draft terms of reference that officially open the public call for concession permits of community broadcasters with an ethnic focus throughout the national territory.
"With the launch of the call for the granting of frequencies to stations with an ethnic focus, we will achieve that the voice of these peoples is heard much more throughout the country, that the barriers to access to information are reduced and we move towards a more connected nation, especially in these times of pandemic, where it is important to highlight the cultural heritage of our country, " said Minister Abudinen.
The announcement was made from the Cultural Center of Riohacha, where the official made public the draft of the terms of reference of call No. 001 of 2020, a document that establishes the conditions and requirements required for organized communities to access frequency permits.
The minister explained that this process will make available 240 channels in 239 municipalities in 31 departments where there are settlements of duly recognized ethnic groups, as well as the sites where there was an expression of interest and there is radio spectrum available to provide the service according to the technical analysis carried out by the National Spectrum Agency (ANE).
"With the publication of the draft terms of reference we officially start this process that will undoubtedly bring great benefits to the communities. Those interested will be able to send us their contributions, suggestions and comments until December 4 of this year," Abudinen explained.
The minister added from La Guajira that, with this national call, "the government of President Iván Duque reaffirms its commitment to the regions and community broadcasters that represent the voice of citizens and are fundamental for the democratic exercise."
The official stressed that this is the first time that a process of this category has been carried out in Colombia, which received a total of 671 expressions of interest from different parts of the country, which demonstrates the degree of importance that this means for the regions and organized communities.
All interested parties will be able to know the draft document of the terms of reference and send their contributions, suggestions and comments on the requirements established in the terms of reference until December 4, 2020, through the link https://www.mintic.gov.co/micrositios/emisorascomunitariasetnicas/735/w3-channel.html
