Short-term licences for radio broadcasting in an analogue terrestrial mass communications network

Two different licences are needed for short-term analogue radio broadcasting: an operating licence or programme licence and a radio licence or technical licence. FICORA grants the licence if adequate frequencies can be assigned for the operations and there is no justified reason to suspect the applicant of violating the provisions of the Act on Television and Radio Operations or any other related act.

The possession and use of a radio transmitter is always subject to a licence in accordance with the Radio Act. Meanwhile, if you are planning temporary radio operations, please check first if any programme licence is necessary at all. A short-term licence is not required:

• for operations where the transmissions may be received only in the premises of an educational unit, a hospital, a hotel or corresponding activity forming part of the operations;
• for operations in telecommunications networks through which programmes can simultaneously be followed via no more than 2000 subscriptions;
• for temporary analogue operations by means of freely propagating radio waves for a maximum period of three months, if the used television transmitter's radiation power does not exceed 1 kilowatt or radio transmitter's radiation power 50 watt.

An operating licence and a radio licence can be applied for at the same time, but on separate application forms. The applications are handled primarily 2 months prior to the starting date mentioned in the application. Applications received later are dealt with as soon as possible.

An operating licence can be applied for for one place of business at a time for a maximum period of three months. One and the same application for an operating licence at the same place of business can cover several separate periods, if the period between the first and last date of operations does not exceed three months.

The applicant must be legally competent and the applicant's name must be given in the application in its official form. For example, the licence holder of an educational unit is usually the owner, e.g. the municipality.

The broadcaster shall, according to the Act on the Exercise of Freedom of Expression in Mass Media, primarily save all recordings of each programme for at least 21 days after the date of broadcasting. The depository of recordings shall be indicated in the licence application.

Inadequate information will delay the handling of an application. The licence applications with sufficient and correct information are dealt with at first. Otherwise priority is given to those applicants whose operation actually is small-scale and temporary.

The licences cannot be granted in a way to allow several successive short-term licences. Long-term radio operations or operations that are otherwise subject to a licence to be granted by the Government cannot be carried out by making use of the licensing for short-term or small-scale radio operations. According to FICORA's procedures, applicants from or under the same organisation are regarded as one and the same applicant, who cannot have successive licences.

The application fee for a programme licence is 100 €. An invoicing address must appear from the application. A technical licence is charged separately.

You can submit an application for a programme licence for short-term analogue radio broadcasting here. If a radio licence is applied for at the same time, it is best to fill in the application form that can be downloaded on the page with information on licences for TV and radio transmitters. On the same page there are also other instructions for setting up a radio station. If a radio link will be used for transmission of programmes from the studio or other place of production to the actual broadcasting site, a technical licence for this shall be applied for separately.

Further information:

Merja Saari, tel. +358 9 6966 468 (programme licence)
Tuure Ikäheimonen, tel. +358 9 6966 447 and Kari Kangas, tel. +358 9 6966 451 (radio licence)