Head of Federal Telecommunications Commission resigns

In a surprise move, the controversial Chairman of the Federal Telecommunications Commission, Héctor Osuna, said he would not seek to be re-elected to a new 4-year term as Chairman and also resigned from the Commission.  The five Cofetel commissioners are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate; the commissioners elect one of their own number as chairman. The Cofetel session scheduled for the 25^th that was to have elected a chairman for the next term was cancelled. It is expected that the four remaining commissioners will operate without electing a chairman until President Calderón nominates a new commissioner and the Senate confirms him/her. While Osuna said he was resigning for personal reasons, most commentary implied that he resigned after determining that he would not be re-elected.  The Cofetel has frequently served as Exhibit A for the lack of effective regulatory oversight in Mexico. There is an uneasy division of labor between the SCT and Cofetel in terms of regulation of the communications sector, and the body is currently involved in the auction of new wireless spectrum.   (Universal 6/24)

Osuna was a PAN Senator and one of the promoters of during the Fox administration of the Ley Televisa (since declared unconstitutional) that locked in the dominant market position of the incumbent TV broadcasters. Last year, he was identified by then-SCT Undersecretary Purificación Carpinteyro as the source of leaked recordings of then-SCT Secretary Luis Téllez’ phone conversations that led to Tellez’ resignation.

Columnist Miguel Angel Granados Chapa wrote,

“Héctor Osuna is exceptional: He was elected to the Cofetel in a cynical payback of favors. As the motor in the Senate for passing the Ley Televisa that gave that conglomerate the legal backing that it wanted (even though the law was defanged [by the Supreme Court]), he finished the game as the regulator that [the broadcasters] needed. And now he departs without any rendering of accounts before the Commission or facing Purificación Carpinteyro, who has shown more gallantry and integrity than he who is leaving Cofetel, dogged by his unmet obligations.” (Reforma 6/25)

Storm over telecoms provisions

In a novelty for Mexico, opponents of the tax on Internet services staged a campaign to flood Twitter with tweets opposing the measure, using the tag #internetnecesario. The group got a boost from Senate president Carlos Navarrete (PRD), who endorsed the campaign. (Universal 10/25)

Another provision defers royalty payments by new cell phone operators for two years on new radio frequency spectrum to be auctioned for 3G networks. Purificación Carpinteyro, the former Undersecretary of Communications, called it, “a privilege inserted to address exclusively the interests of Televisa.” Long-term PAN critic of telecoms policy Javier Corral called it “a huge fiscal benefit for the wealthy telecoms owners,” that was negotiated between the Ministry of Finance and PRI Senate leader Manlio Fabio Beltrones to get PRI support for the Internet tax. (Reforma 10/26)