ILECs given a week to say if they will sign new contract

Next week Anatel publishes in the Federal Register (Diário Oficial da União) the main text of the new license for the incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs), which will come into force in 2006. They will be asked to notify Anatel formally of their intention to sign at once.
All three ILECs have expressed dissatisfaction with several items, including some recently altered by Anatel?s board. Nevertheless, none is expected to refuse to sign.
The 20-year license will come up for review in 2010 and 2020.

A director of an ILEC had this to say about the public hearing at which Anatel presented the new contract: ?We lost 10 to 1." The single point was won with Anatel?s decision to make one concession: ILECs won?t be obliged to split local and long-distance operations into distinct legal entities. Only financial reporting will have to be kept separate.