The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has transitioned the community radio station regime to the first phase of the licensing system.
Some 2,996 community radio stations, or 81.5% of 3,675 total community radio stations, applied for licences.
As a result, the 679 stations that did not submit applications were required to stop broadcasting on Dec 31, 2024, said NBTC commissioner AM Thanapant Raicharoen.
He said the transition from the community radio regime to licensing was successful.
Community radio stations operated according to NBTC permission for trial services since the 1997 constitution.
Stations that applied for licences are automatically entitled to continue trial broadcasting before being awarded licences.
The NBTC office must examine the qualifications of applicants before awarding licences.
Community stations that operate for public affairs and community purposes will be awarded licences by the second quarter this year, said AM Thanapant.
Community stations with a business purpose have to bid for licences, with bidding expected to be held in a few months, he said.
Licences are expected to be awarded in the second quarter this year.
According to the auction's conditions, the starting bid price is 25,000 baht, with increments of 1,000 baht or more, and no limit on the number of bidding rounds per frequency band.
Each auction can last a maximum of one hour.
Payment of the winning bid is in two instalments.
The NBTC does not want this auction to benefit groups with lots of capital, so each juristic person is allowed only one radio frequency, according to the regulator. However, at an auction they can apply for two frequencies.
If a juristic person wins two frequencies, they must choose one, with the other frequency awarded to the bidder with the second-highest bid.
AM Thanapant said the NBTC rule to stop community radio stations airing programmes after 2024 aligns with its development of digital radio broadcasting.
"The move is to improve service standards and help stakeholders handle the digital disruption," he said.
Community radio stations are a critical agenda for the NBTC, as there were more than 5,000 such stations over the past decade, said AM Thanapant.