Judge orders Telmex pay-TV rethink
November 28, 2011
By Colin Mann
A Mexican judge has ordered government regulators to reconsider their veto of telco Telmex’s bid to enter the cable television market.
The Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Communications and Transportation Secretariat) said that it had been notified of the judge’s ruling, which granted Telmex and affiliate Telnor an appeal against the Secretariat’s refusal earlier in May 2011 to change their concessions to allow the additional service.
The judge found that the ministry did not make a thorough review of the case, and is now requesting that the government look at Telmex’s request again and make a new decision. The court ruling states that it can demand that the phone companies comply with any necessary requirement within a period of five days. The judge’s ruling is subject to appeal within 10 working days.
The Secretariat’s May decision suggested that the Carlos Slim-owned telco had not complied with its obligations under a 2006 Convergence Agreement. That accord was drafted to allow telcos to offer triple-play services provided they met certain requirements, including number portability, interconnection and interoperability.
Telmex insists it has fulfilled those requirements, but competitors say high fees to connect to that company’s network are hindering their businesses.