Ofcom has today published a statement following its review of
community
radio: future licensing and technical policy:
"There are
250 Ofcom-licensed community radio stations broadcasting in locations across the
UK. These stations are small, not-for-profit services which bring a range of
benefits to their target communities, and are run with the help of
volunteers.
This statement sets out our decision to conduct a fourth
licensing round for community radio services, and how we will seek to ensure
that our processes for awarding licences are quicker and more focused than in
previous rounds.
We have also made revisions to our technical policy
in relation to the frequencies and coverage areas for these services to take
account of individual station requirements, which may
differ.
Finally, this statement sets out our position on the
prioritisation of our future community radio work."
Full
26-page report at:
(via
Community Media Association discussion list, 28 April)
Worth reading
in full - it includes responses from existing stations to
consultation.
Note Ofcom says applications submitted in October 2016
for Greater London and AM licences - they anticipate decisions will be made
before the summer.
And licensing of small-scale DAB was not likely to
commence before 2018.
