Consultations for Community, Indigenous & Afro-Mexican Social Radio Guidelines Begin

ByJessika Becerra

This article by Jessika Becerra originally appeared in the March 1, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) opened the consultation on the guidelines for granting concessions for community, indigenous and Afro-Mexican social radio. The consultation can be found on the agency’s website, at portal.crt.gob.mx/consultapublica and will be open for a period of 20 business days starting today.

The Plenary of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) unanimously approved submitting to public consultation the “Guidelines for Granting Concessions for Community, Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Social Use provided for in the Law on Telecommunications and Broadcasting”.

As a result of this modification, for the first time, the elimination of requirements such as economic, administrative, legal and financial capacity, which were a barrier for communities to access a concession, is expected, highlighted the agency headed by Norma Solano.

“This is a regulatory proposal that seeks to facilitate access to concessions for Indigenous peoples and Afro-Mexican communities, in a simple way and with simplified processes,” the CRT said in a statement.

She indicated that the consultation will gather all comments, opinions and contributions from people interested in a concession, as well as from communities, organizations and the general public.

“This new legal framework reinforces that the spectrum is a public good that must serve the entire Mexican population and give a voice to communities that have historically been marginalized in technological development,” the Commission stated.

She added that the proposal brings together the opinions and comments gathered during the past month of November in various dialogue sessions with the communities.

Currently, the regulator has a record of 735 social use concessions in the country, of which 216 are community-based, 33 are Indigenous, and five titles were granted to Afro-Mexican communities, one of which has already given notice of the start of transmissions.

During the fourth plenary session, the president commissioner, Norma Solano, and the commissioners Ledénika Méndez, Mercedes Olivares, Tania Villa and Adán Salazar, agreed that it is vital to expedite access to the spectrum from an intercultural perspective, recognizing that broadcasting is fundamental for the effective exercise of human rights.