World Dialogue on Regulation

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 An Institutional and Practical Evaluation of URSEC – Uruguay’s Communication Regulator – and its Relationship with Citizens (337.16 KB)

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 Una Evaluación Institucional y Práctica de la Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Comunicaciones (URSEC) y su relación con los ciudadanos (575.46 KB) 

This study was undertaken to assess and make recommendations for improving communication and information practices between the Uruguayan broadcast and telecommunications regulator (URSEC) and civil society, as well as for promoting inclusion in regulatory processes and decision-making.

Established in 2001, URSEC is a relatively young authority and further regulates a telecom terrain that is not fully privatized. The state-owned operator ANTEL maintains fixed line monopoly provision and over the years consistently provided superior and efficient services resulting in the region’s highest fixed line teledensity. Since ANTEL was perceived as protecting consumer rights, the State did not develop consumer relations as an area of concern. Changes are however occurring in the telecom sector, including introduction of competition for mobile – and the increasing relative importance of the mobile sector – evolving technologies, and convergence. Given these changes, and in particular URSEC’s responsibilities around spectrum licensing for broadcasting, this report argues that there is an increasing need for improving URSEC’s communication practices in support of consumers, users and citizens.

This investigation found URSEC’s information and communication tools and mechanisms for communicating with citizens to be largely insufficient. The reasons for this are varied and predictably include lack of sufficient resources allocated to this area. Equally predictable is inefficient use of available resources (such as free media time at the disposition of the regulator). Less obvious (especially to those from outside of Uruguay) is the particular trait of lack of consumer advocacy culture and a corresponding lack of knowledge about consumer rights and how to exercise them. It is important to note that this investigation did not encounter any demonstrated predisposition to hiding information. Nonetheless, much public information that should be available cannot be found or accessed in an adequately complete and timely manner.

In addition to attending to its own information collection, management and dissemination practices and campaigns, URSEC will also need to cultivate and strengthen relations with groups that are concerned with provision of broadcasting, telecom and ICT services. While consumer issues form an important part of this agenda, civil society advocacy looks beyond the individual consumer’s relationship with the market to a broader sphere of rights, including universal service, universal access, participation in policy and regulatory processes and decision-making and access to information.

This study is based on a series of in-depth interviews, as well as reviews of public and internal information and documents undertaken at the end of 2006. Following the introduction and methodology notes, this report offers a brief overview of the Uruguayan telecom sector, and then assesses URSEC’s relationships with civil society stakeholders and examines the national and institutional contexts for these relations. It concludes with a summary of URSEC’s own current plan of action, followed by recommendations deriving from this study.