The licences were extended in 2003 for a further year, and in 2004 a consultation was issued by the Authority's successor, Ofcom, on the creation of Community Radio.
The first new community radio station to be licensed was youth-based AfanFM in Neath-Port Talbot and the first to go on-air was 103 The Eye in Melton Mowbray.
[2] In 2020, following a number of successful trials of the technology[3] and the passing of relevant legislation,[4] Ofcom began to issue licences for small-scale DAB multiplexes.
[2] Unlike in commercial radio licensing, which is generally advertised to cover a specific region, prospective operators are able to specify the target area and format of their station.
These usually take the form of a commitment to train local people in broadcasting skills or provide a certain amount of programming aimed at an underserved section of the population.
No community radio station is permitted to raise more than 50% of its operating costs from a single source, including on-air sponsorship and advertising.
The Community Radio licence permits up to five years of broadcasting, but is only available on a discretionary basis when Ofcom opens application rounds.