Deputy Telma de Souza (PT, São Paulo) has submitted to the speaker of the lower house a bill amending the General Telecommunications Act and key statutes to allow the Executive branch a measure of control over Anatel and other regulatory agencies. ?Dep. de Souza represents the thinking of many sectors,? Communications Minister Miro Teixeira said, calling for the bill to be ?respected?.
Among other things, the bill would amend Art. 8, paragraph 2, of the Telecoms Act to enable the president of Brazil to dismiss Anatel directors. An amendment to Art. 24 would reduce their term of office from five to four years. Art. 9 of Law 9986/00, on the staffing of regulatory agencies, would be amended to read as follows: ?The head of the Executive branch may dismiss board members and directors at any time in accordance with the provisions of this article.? Two new paragraphs would be added to replace the existing sole paragraph. The first new paragraph would read as follows: ?The following grounds shall justify dismissal of directors at any time: acts of administrative improbity, criminal convictions [the law in force reads ?judicial conviction?], or failure to comply with management contracts and policies established by the ministry or superior body?. The second paragraph would state that the law creating each agency could include more grounds for dismissal.
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