A commission chaired by Presidential Chief of Staff José Dirceu has begun reviewing the powers of the nation?s regulatory agencies and should finish the job by the end of April, says Deputy Walter Pinheiro (PT, Bahia), a member of the commission. The Government has asked the commission to draft a bill that modifies those powers (or at least contribute to one). Dep. Pinheiro rules out the use of an executive order (medida provisória) for the time being. It?s not the Government?s intention to weaken the agencies, he says, but to have cabinet ministers and not regulators formulate policy. ?Our view is that the ministries, particularly Communications and Mining & Energy, stopped setting policy long ago and the agencies stepped in to fill the vacuum,? he explains. The Communications Ministry was used as a political coordinator between the parties and the Executive under the previous Administration, to the detriment of policymaking, Dep. Pinheiro says.
?Anatel?s decision to introduce carrier selection codes, for example, was a move that should have been taken by the Government. In contrast, I believe the agency is taking the right approach to the process of ILEC license renewal,? he argues. Whether prices of public services should be index-linked is another decision that only the Government can take.
Policy
