IAB warns about attempted frequency auction, welcomes supreme court decision and defends freedom of expression in Costa Rica
The International Association of Broadcasting (IAB) expresses its serious concern regarding the process initiated by the Executive Branch of Costa Rica to auction radio and television frequencies, disregarding the legitimate, legal, contractual, and constitutional rights of current broadcasters to the renewal of their concessions and operating permits.
IAB warns that such initiatives, which seek to displace existing operators through administrative mechanisms or improper bidding processes, constitute a misuse of the radio spectrum, with direct effects on informational pluralism and freedom of expression. The manipulation of spectrum allocation processes is a practice commonly associated with governments seeking to influence the editorial line of the media or reduce their capacity to carry out public scrutiny of governmental actions.
The attempted auction in Costa Rica would have seriously limited the diversity of voices, affecting citizens’ right to be properly informed and weakening a democratic model that has distinguished the country for decades. It is particularly concerning that official communication channels sought to discredit the technical and legal warnings issued by the National Chamber of Broadcasters (CANARA) and various civil society sectors.
IAB recognizes the institutional strength of Costa Rica, which—through constitutional controls, citizen participation, and the action of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice—managed to halt a process incompatible with international standards of freedom of expression, press freedom, and legal certainty.
IAB reaffirms that the administration of the radio spectrum must be governed by the Constitution, the law, international human rights treaties, and respect for due process, without political interference or measures that could restrict the work of free, private, and independent media.
IAB will continue to support CANARA and Costa Rican broadcasters in defending pluralism, legality, and democracy.