Introduction to the CRT and its Recent Integration
On October 17, Claudia Sheinbaum appointed Norma Solano Rodríguez as President of the Plenum of the Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT), completing the Plenum with Ledénika Mackensie Méndez, María de las Mercedes Olivares, Tania Villa, and Adán Salazar. While no intentions to belittle the newly appointed commissioners, several influential figures in the industry have wished them well for this “new phase” in the telecommunications sector. However, there seems to be a lack of inspiration or excitement regarding the future of telecommunications in Mexico.
Legal and Structural Challenges Facing the CRT
The CRT’s inception has been marred by legal and structural issues. Just one day after the Plenum’s integration, on October 18, a constitutional reform in telecommunications took effect. This reform led to the enactment of the Telecommunications and Radio Broadcasting Law, which in turn resulted from the constitutional mandate. Essentially, Mexico’s new regulatory framework for telecommunications is a complex carousel of regulations.
The CRT’s design offers no autonomy from either the Executive Power or the dominant economic agent in telecommunications (AEPT). Despite the T-MEC’s note stating that Mexico’s telecom regulator should be autonomous from the Executive Power and independent in its decisions and operations, Morena disregarded expert warnings and amended the Constitution to explicitly make the regulatory body subordinate to the Executive Power. This move effectively undermined autonomy from its inception.
Furthermore, when drafting the secondary legislation, a legislator from the ruling majority attempted to address the T-MEC’s clear stipulation by creating the CRT as a decentralized entity under the original regulator, the Agencia de Transformación Digital y Telecomunicaciones (ATDT), directly reporting to the Executive Power. This change is a blatant attempt at deception, as the constitutional violation is evident from article 28. No secondary legislation can rectify this constitutional breach.
Moreover, the majority of CRT commissioners were chosen directly from the ATDT’s staff. Explaining this to the United States as not compromising autonomy concerning the ATDT will be challenging, further weakening the T-MEC’s standing.
Lack of Focus on AEPT Decentralization
Amidst these challenges, neither the ATDT nor the CRT appears to prioritize AEPT decentralization in the short term. Neither organization has issued a firm statement on this matter so far. The ATDT seems more concerned with eliminating bureaucratic procedures and recently contracted AMX Contenido, S.A. de C.V., America Móvil’s content arm, to monitor and report relevant sector news (CONTRATO-ATDT-006-2025). While the outcome may remain unbiased, the situation remains precarious for the new CRT commissioners.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the CRT and why is its integration significant? The Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT) is Mexico’s new telecom regulatory body, recently integrated with Norma Solano Rodríguez as President. Its formation is significant due to the challenges it faces, including legal and structural issues.
- What are the main legal challenges facing the CRT? The CRT faces a complex regulatory framework due to recent constitutional reforms and the enactment of the Telecommunications and Radio Broadcasting Law. Additionally, the CRT’s design lacks autonomy from both the Executive Power and the dominant economic agent in telecommunications (AEPT).
- How does the CRT’s relationship with the AEPT impact its autonomy? The CRT’s majority commissioners were chosen directly from the Agencia de Transformación Digital y Telecomunicaciones (ATDT), raising concerns about its autonomy concerning the AEPT. This situation further weakens the CRT’s standing under the T-MEC.
- Why is there a lack of focus on AEPT decentralization by the CRT and ATDT? Neither the CRT nor the ATDT has issued firm statements on AEPT decentralization, seemingly prioritizing other matters such as eliminating bureaucratic procedures and monitoring sector news through external contracts.
