Undersecretariat of Telecommunications extinguishes 33 community radio concessions

The Undersecretariat of Telecommunications certified the extinction of 33 community citizen broadcasting concessions, as no applications were submitted in the renewal contests convened by the Regional Governments. The decision is contained in exempt resolution No. 951, dated August 28, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,541 on September 3, 2026, with official reference CVE 2864267.

The measure is based on Law No. 20,433 of 2010, which creates the Community Citizen Broadcasting Services, and Law No. 18,168 of 1982, the General Telecommunications Law. The affected concessions, granted between May and July 2015, were to be renewed in the contests of the Second and Third Quadrimesters of 2024, called by the Regional Governments by virtue of the competencies transferred by supreme decrees No. 71 of 2019 and No. 299 of 2020.

Territorial Scope

The extinguished concessions are distributed across nine regions of the country, with a higher concentration in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago and Biobío:

• Metropolitan Region of Santiago: 18 concessions (Macul, Quinta Normal, Lampa, El Monte, La Pintana, San Joaquín, Lo Espejo, Puente Alto, Ñuñoa, Tiltil, San Ramón, El Bosque, La Florida, Estación Central, Pudahuel, and María Pinto).
• Biobío: 8 concessions (Curanilahue, Concepción, Arauco, Talcahuano, Cabrero, and Cañete).
• Antofagasta: 2 (Antofagasta and Tocopilla); Atacama: 2 (Caldera); Coquimbo: 1 (Combarbalá); Valparaíso: 2 (Calera and Valparaíso); Ñuble: 1 (Quirihue); O’Higgins: 1 (Placilla); Magallanes: 2 (Natales and Punta Arenas).

Procedure and Deadlines

After the Second Quadrimester 2024 contest was declared void, the Undersecretariat made a new and final call in the Third Quadrimester of 2024, in accordance with Article 10 of the Sound Broadcasting Regulations (supreme decree No. 126 of 1997). In both calls, no applications were submitted for the indicated communes, and the resolutions declaring the contests void were published in summary without any claims being filed.

The extinction takes effect as of the expiration dates of each concession, which range from June 25 to September 16, 2025. Among the affected concessionaires are community organizations, parishes, and churches, such as the Christian Assembly of Antofagasta Gathered in the Name of the Lord Jesus, the El Buen Pastor Parish (Macul), the Evangelical Cathedral Adonnai Church (Quinta Normal), and the Juanico Antinao Indigenous Community (Cañete).

Relevance

The resolution, signed by order of the President of the Republic by the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Louis de Grange Concha, nullifies community radio frequencies in dozens of communes, a service aimed at giving a voice to social and local organizations. The loss of these concessions reduces the community broadcasting offer in the country and frees up frequencies that could be subject to new public tenders.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,541, September 3, 2026, Particular Regulations, pgs. 1-5 (official reference: CVE 2864267).