Mexican law would liberalize telecoms, but critics spy censorship

Mexicans are protesting a telecommunications bill they say amounts to government censorship.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto proposed sweeping constitutional reforms in 2013, tackling topics from ending the state oil monopoly to increasing competition in the telecommunications sector. The initial telecom proposal was lauded for its aim to open the market to greater foreign investment, create new all-access TV stations, and implement stricter competition rules in order to offer consumers better prices and access to phone, Internet, and TV services.

In March, President Peña Nieto sent a 500-page telecom bill to the Senate that fleshed out the so-called secondary legislation that determines how the reforms will actually play out, but some of the bill’s provisions are sparking concerns. Opponents say the proposed law would allow the government to block cell phone signals during protests, censor websites, and track cell phone communications in the interest of national security. It’s a sensitive topic, as Peña Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) controlled Mexico for 71 straight years until 2000, and some fear these provisions could signal a step back toward a more authoritarian style of government.