Media in Honduras

Honduran social communications media (medios de comunicación social) include print and digital newspapers, radio, television, subscription television, streaming services and social networks. National, regional and community-based offerings exist alongside one another. Ownership structures and control over media are not fully recorded in a current public register, making it difficult to assess pluralism and editorial independence. The National Commission of Banks and Insurance is not responsible for this area; the National Telecommunications Commission (Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, CONATEL) administers telecommunications, frequencies, broadcasting authorizations and user protection. Formal license categories for radio and television include SD-RS, SD-RSC, SD-RTV, SD-RTVC, SFC-AS, SFC-AN and SFC-TSMI. Applications for community radio or community television require, among other things, information on coverage, technical data, and a plan for public-interest and programming offerings. An applicant for community television may not hold another distribution service. For concessions, CONATEL examines technical and economic capacity; processing times and fees depend on the service and coverage area. Access to media in Honduras is increasingly mobile. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística), around 54.8% of the population had internet access in 2024; the International Telecommunication Union reports 58.6% of people online and 50.8% of households with internet access at home for the same year. The figures use different definitions. In the second quarter of 2025, 533,342 fixed and 6,631,049 mobile internet connections were reported. The density was 4.38 fixed and 54.58 mobile broadband connections per 100 inhabitants. Prices for internet, subscription television and streaming depend on the provider, contract, platform and technical availability; there is no single nationwide price. Streaming services use fixed or mobile internet connections. No Honduran public streaming platform with a general mandate and no separate state authority responsible for the catalogs of general streaming services were identified. However, audiovisual content is subject to rights in images, music, text and broadcasts. Anyone who uses content without permission or circumvents technical protection measures may incur legal liability. Social networks are operated by private platforms. CONATEL Regulation NR004/22 prohibits unjustified discrimination against content in data traffic, but allows restrictions based on copyright, confidentiality and applicable law. Account suspensions, moderation and platform rules are additionally governed by the terms of the respective service. The Constitution protects freedom of expression through every medium and prohibits prior censorship as well as indirect control through frequencies or material means. Subsequent liability remains possible. Reports by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights mention, among other issues, the criminalization of insult and defamation, obstacles to access to official sources, and problems with press credentials. Journalists and other social communicators are particularly at risk when reporting on corruption, organized crime, migration, land conflicts and mining. Threats, violence, impunity and self-censorship also affect local and community media. The Secretariat of Human Rights (Secretaría de Derechos Humanos) and its protection offices can process protection requests; the National Protection Mechanism (Mecanismo Nacional de Protección) may provide ordinary or extraordinary measures and, in emergencies, rapid assistance. A specific result is not guaranteed. The College of Journalists of Honduras (Colegio de Periodistas de Honduras, CPH) is a professional association with professional and ethical rules. The National Autonomous University of Honduras (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras) offers a Licentiate degree in Journalism (Licenciatura en Periodismo) involving four years of study and 800 hours of supervised practical training. Whether membership or a professional title is required for every digital or social-media publication remains legally disputed because of the tension between national professional law and inter-American standards. For information from government bodies, applicants can use a Public Information Office (Oficina de Información Pública, OIP) or the electronic system SIELHO. A response is generally expected within no more than ten working days; the period may be extended by no more than 20 working days. If a response is absent or inadequate, a review can be requested from the Institute for Access to Public Information (Instituto de Acceso a la Información Pública). The Single Portal (Portal Único) actively publishes certain information. Children and young people encounter online risks such as cyberbullying, grooming, sexting, inappropriate content, and theft of identity and personal-data information. Families and schools can combine conversations, secure settings and parental-control functions. No uniform nationwide legal framework for media literacy or age ratings was identified. Opportunities for participation exist, among other channels, through municipal programs for children and young people, the Children's Communicators Network (Red de Comunicadores Infantiles), and local radio, television and digital offerings; they are not available everywhere as an equal entitlement. Community media and local digital offerings create opportunities for participation, but differ according to municipality, infrastructure and funding. No central public platform for nationwide media participation was identified. Complaints about a telecommunications provider can first be submitted to the provider and then to CONATEL. Providers must respond within no more than ten working days; this period may be extended by five working days when the facts require international examination. If the response is absent or inadequate, CONATEL can be contacted.