Senate Considers Sweeping Changes to Telecommunications Reform
CAPITAL – May 9, 2024 – The Senate is currently deliberating major telecommunications reform proposals, sparking notable changes within the regulatory framework. These modifications, spearheaded by the Senate Radio, Television and Cinematography Commission, are set to redefine responsibilities and attributions of several key entities, including the Digital Conversion and Telecommunications Agency (ATDT). This thorough overhaul aims to modernize the sector, and will impact all stakeholders. For more details,read on.
senate Considers Sweeping Changes to Telecommunications Reform
The Senate Radio, Television adn Cinematography Commission is contemplating a critically important overhaul of telecommunications regulations, focusing particularly on the regulatory body associated with the digital conversion agency. Sen. Javier Corral, a member of Morena and the commission’s secretary, characterized the proposed changes as a deep reconfiguration.
Regulatory Body Undergoes “Major surgery”
According to Sen.Corral, the modifications to the regulatory body are extensive.In the matter of the regulatory body, the change is practically total. It is greater surgery,
he stated,emphasizing the breadth of the proposed reforms.
Redistribution of Key Functions
The proposed changes involve a redistribution of responsibilities among several key entities.Sen. Corral explained that there will be a very significant modification
that will affect the regulatory body, the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency (ATDT), the Ministry of Communications and Transportation, the Ministry of the Interior, and even the Federal Office of the Consumer.
Controversy Surrounding Agency Attributions
Discussions surrounding the initiative have highlighted concerns about the concentration of power within the ATDT. The proposed reforms aim to address these concerns by re-evaluating the distribution of responsibilities.
Reconfiguring the Organ Design
Sen. Corral elaborated on the planned reconfiguration, stating:
Well, there will be a reconfiguration of the organ design while being assigned to the agency, the work of distributing what powers will be very critically important to that regulatory body, what attributions to the agency, which are maintained in the executive’s communications and transport sector, even which in the Ministry of the Interior, as you have been able to listen to it, even to the Federal Attorney General’s Office.Sen. Javier Corral, Senate Radio, Television and Cinematography Commission
He further clarified the scope of the changes:
Then there is a set of attributions that must be distributed and that is a greater design, because we are talking about a proposal that in one of its core, which is both to issue politics and regulate, will undergo a design change of how it came.Sen. Javier Corral, Senate Radio, Television and Cinematography Commission
Next Steps: Elaboration of a Minute
Following the conclusion of discussions, the next step involves creating a minute that summarizes the main proposals gathered from technical documents submitted by participants. This minute will serve as the foundation for future legislative action.
Moving Towards an Remarkable Period of Sessions
The minute will be used to convene the United Radio, Television and Cinematography commissions; Legislative Studies and Communications, with the goal of initiating an extraordinary period of sessions in June. The objective is to meet the constitutional deadline for approving secondary legislation related to telecommunications and broadcasting.
Plural and Open Conversations
Sen. Corral described the conversations as a plural and open exercise,
noting that they facilitated the collection of proposals from 89 speakers across five sessions,totaling approximately 20 hours.
Feedback and Enrichment
According to Sen.Corral, the discussions served to both highlight the strengths of the initiative and identify areas for betterment. These dialogues have been feedback and enriching. Many of the most controversial proposals have been eliminated,
he said.
Redesign of the Regulatory Body
The redesign of the regulatory body will include contact rules with dealers and operators in the sector, as well as criteria for the appointment of commissioners with technical expertise, political independence, and a clear designation process.
