Merino Agency obtains powers from the IFT, but does not disappear yet

With the votes in favor, the new Agency acquires powers that are currently the constitutional jurisdiction of the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), this despite the reform that seeks to eliminate it because it is an autonomous entity.

With the creation of the Agency, the agency becomes the entity in charge of developing and conducting telecommunications and broadcasting policies. This means that the state agency will assume administrative and regulatory control of telecommunications, one of the most controversial and complex points of the industry, where América Móvil, despite having asymmetric measures, maintains market concentration, income and infrastructure. .

It will also be the body in charge of issuing policies and rules for the satellite industry, powers that also still belong to the IFT. The opinion that has already been approved proposes that José Merino’s Agency will define satellite capacity and exploit emission and reception rights from foreign satellites.

This sector, despite having been in the country for some time, is still incipient, but in this six-year term it seeks to promote it as one of the most relevant industries of the Claudia Sheinbaum administration, because it wants to create its own satellite, added to the fact that it is a sector that has become strategic for governments by helping them with surveillance issues such as climate change.

“The initiative aims to transfer functions to the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency that are still part of the autonomous organizations, so the proposal goes against what the constitution says today and are issues that should have been analyzed with more time and caution” , assured Andrés Mauricio Cantú, deputy of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

The powers given to the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency are complex, as they require a specialized and technical profile. Regulatory measures and for companies in the mobile, fixed and broadcasting market and to monitor the satellite world require an understanding of economic competition, engineering, economics, regulation and economic competition.

Specialists consulted previously agreed on the relevance of José Merino’s Agency having technical profiles and even the transfer of officials from autonomous organizations in order to provide continuity to the work that has been carried out in the last 11 years in regulatory and economic competition in the telecommunications sector, otherwise there is a risk of generating distortions in the market or reducing the inflow of investments.

Patricia Mercado, deputy of Movimiento Ciudadano (MC), agreed with the vision of the PRI deputy, pointing out as incongruous that a new agency is formed when a self-employed person is in operation. For the public official, transferring powers to a State agency and even disappearing organizations like the IFT, opens the door to conflicts of interest with the favoring of industry actors, bringing with it direct effects on consumers.

“We have very important advances, for example, improving the prices of telephone services and obtaining public government information, that is why we need agencies that do not pursue mandates, but rather pursue efficiencies and independent decisions,” warned the MC deputy.

Born with powers from various sectors

The Agency chaired by José Antonio Merino, in addition to having powers from the telecommunications sector, will be in charge of formulating policies and guidelines for the digitization of citizens’ identities through the CURP, as well as for the database of national systems. of the Federal Public Administration with the National Population Registry, all in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior.

The Agency will also promote the development of a public software factory, as well as the implementation of software and technological solutions in the Federal Public Administration. These types of plants seek to sell software development projects and the sale of the intellectual property of the developed computer applications.

Also with its creation, the new agency will have the power to issue policies for the satellite industry such as defining satellite capacity and exploiting emission and reception rights from foreign satellites. This sector seeks to position itself as one of the most relevant in Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration because it seeks to create its own satellite.

On the other hand, the new entity will also regulate telegraph and postal services. In addition, José Merino, as head of the Agency, will have the power to propose the person who will chair the National Council for Regulatory Improvement.

The operation of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency is expected to begin operations on January 1, 2025, so the regulatory powers are still in the hands of the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) because it operates as stipulated by the constitution. .