As of November 5, Conatel had shut down at least 95 radio stations across the country so far this year. The arguments are the extinction of the concession or alleged irregularities with the ownership of these permits
Two radio stations in Ejido, Mérida state, were closed over the weekend, between November 11 and 13, by order of the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel).
In this sense, the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) in its official Twitter account highlighted that the closures of radio stations continue on orders from Conatel and pointed out that the closed stations were Cordillera 104.7 FM and Máxima 103.9 FM.
As of November 5, Conatel had shut down at least 95 radio stations across the country so far this year. The arguments are the extinction of the concession or alleged irregularities with the ownership of those permits.
However, experts in the area of communications assured that the legal breaches that the broadcasters may have are not their responsibility, but rather that of the regulatory entity.
* Also read: Chamber of Broadcasting: Almost all closed stations “are clandestine”
In a work published by As it isCarlos Correa, director of Espacio Público, explains that more than 80% of the stations operating in the country do not have up-to-date ownership.
Luisa Torrealba Mesa, a researcher at Ininco (Communication Research Institute) and professor of communication rights at the UCV, explains that in Conatel there is “great opacity in relation to the situation of the radio spectrum”; Therefore, it is not known how many stations operate in the country, how many are in the licensing process, the exact expiration date of the concessions and, it stands out that, although they have processed the renewal of the licenses, “there has been no response from Conatel”.
Torrealba Mesa recalled that the radio spectrum is in the public domain, it belongs to everyone, and the only thing the State has to do is manage it and “guarantee the plurality of the spectrum.”
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