Tech Roundup: Telecom regulator to incorporate postal services

You’re reading The Brazilian Report’s weekly tech roundup, a digest of the most important news on technology and innovation in Brazil. This week’s topics: the revamp of the Brazilian Telecom watchdog, Google trends for 2020 Black Friday, and the costs to mitigate interference with satellite TV ahead of the crucial 5G auction. 

Telecom regulator set for name change, incorporating postal services

The recently recreated Communications Ministry presented its first big change this week: rebranding the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) as the National Communications Agency (Anacom), which would be responsible for supervising both telecoms providers and the national postal service. 

Why it matters. The move has been framed as key in speeding up the privatization of Correios, the federally-owned postal company. The move has been planned since the Michel Temer administration and was included in President Jair Bolsonaro’s privatization plan. The cash-strapped government hopes to raise BRL 15 billion (USD 2.7 billion) from its sale.

• However, the project never actually took off, due in part to intense backlash from civil servants.

Why the change? Communications Minister Fábio Faria said the proposal is “more about principles than rules,” as Congress will be responsible for defining Anacom’s role, as well as for deciding on the privatization of Correios.

• If it moves forward, the bill would alter Brazil’s General Telecom Law, which deals with Anatel’s powers and responsibilities.
• Mr. Faria added that the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) has hired consultancy firm Accenture to carry out studies on the privatization of Correios. Its findings shall be available within four months.

Benchmark. The structure of the new agency would be similar to Portugal’s Anacom, a communications watchdog that also handles postal services. The Portuguese institution had already been cited as a positive benchmark by Anatel chairman Leonardo Euler de Moraes.

Timetable. As the proposal has yet to be analyzed by the president’s Chief of Staff — before being put to Congress — there is no concrete expectation on when the change would be carried out.   

---

Pandemic trends to boost Brazil’s Black Friday

Black Friday has...