Government Preparing For
Competition in
Telecommunications
Although the "Ley
General de
Telecomunicaciones" has
only been approved in
first reading is now
before the
Constitutional Court for
interpretations, the
government is moving
ahead with its plans
preparing for an opening
of the
telecommunications
sector very soon.
One of the decisions of
the government is to
create a vice-ministry
to handle
telecommunications
matters and will be part
of the Ministerio de
Ambiente, Energía y
Telecomunicaciones,
which currently only
deals with energy and
environmental matters,
known as MINAE.
The vice-minister will
be responsible to
oversee the
telecommunications
sector as competition
opens up.
The Ley General de
Telecomunicaciones,
approved in first
reading on February 13,
still requires approval
of second reading before
it can go into effect,
and is part of the
"complimentary" laws
required to be enacted
before the free trade
agreement with the
United States and
Central America can go
into effect.
The main responsibility
of the MINAE ministry is
to grant concessions to
establish and operate
telecommunications
networks in the country.
The concessions will be
granted based on studies
and recommendations of
the Superintendencia de
Telecomunicaciones (Sutel).
The Sutel is being
created by the law Ley
de Modernización de las
Entidades Públicas del
Sector de
Telecomunicaciones,
known as "Ley de ICE",
which is waiting
approval, and will be an
organism under the
direction of the
Autoridad Reguladora de
los Servicios Públicos (Aresep).
Details of the how the
organism will actually
work are not clear as
the Aresep regulador,
Fernando Herrero, would
not comment until the
laws have been approved.
The resulting effect, in
simple terms, is that
Costa Rica and ICE will
have competition in the
telecommunications
market, whose rates,
tariffs and operations
will be closely
regulated by the
government agency.
However, nothing will
happen until Ley General
de Telecomunicaciones
gets second reading and
the other, the " Ley de
Fortalecimiento del
ICE", gets approval of
one third (38 of 57)
legislators.
The government has yet
to name the
telecommunications
vice-minister. |
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