Background and Relevance of the Institutions Involved
The Instituto Nacional de Transparencia, Acceso a la Información y Protección de Datos Personales (INAI) was a Mexican autonomous institution responsible for ensuring public information access and protecting personal data. With a budget of 1,000 million pesos over two decades, it served only 3% of the population according to the INEGI. Now, with half of its previous resources, Transparency for the People will take on 80% of INAI’s former functions, focusing solely on federal executive information access requests.
Financial Aspects and Organizational Changes
For fiscal year 2025, the Congress of the Union allocated 489 million pesos to INAI, expecting its extinction before the first half of the year. The outgoing administration returned 147 million pesos to the treasury, and all INAI employees, including eight protected by the Judicial Power, received their liquidations. Transparency for the People will have an organizational structure four times smaller than INAI, with nearly half its personnel. The staff of 400 is still incomplete, and the secretary anticipates hiring suitable candidates, whether from INAI or not.
New Leadership and Challenges
María Tanivet Ramos Reyes leads the new organization, while José Vicente Peredo Vázquez and Alejandro García Ravizé Guizar oversee the Units of Personal Data and National Transparency Platform, respectively. The new head, Francisco Raúl Álvarez Córdoba, faces previous criticisms from his time at INAI, nearly preventing his appointment to the Citizen Participation Committee of the SNA.
Future Implications and Telecommunications Sector Analysis
The new structure will replace the IFT and COFECET, placing José Antonio Peña Merino in charge of the Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications. Experts like The CIU’s Gonzalo Rojón argue that there is still much to do in the telecommunications sector, with data showing America Móvil controls around 52% of total industry revenue. As of 2024, the company held 55.7% of the mobile telephony market and 40% of fixed broadband, indicating persistent concentration.
Instead of considering the removal of preponderance, analysts suggest focusing on strengthening regulation, as it has not been entirely effective. The single operator’s dominance in telecommunications has discouraged competition and led companies like Telefónica to extreme measures, such as spectrum returns.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the new government scheme for public information access and data protection? The new initiative, Transparency for the People, aims to ensure public information access and protect personal data with reduced resources compared to its predecessor, INAI.
- How will the new organization be structured? Transparency for the People will have a smaller organizational structure, with fewer employees and focusing only on federal executive information access requests.
- Who are the new leaders and what challenges do they face? María Tanivet Ramos Reyes leads the new organization, while Francisco Raúl Álvarez Córdoba, the new head, faces previous criticisms from his time at INAI.
- What are the implications for the telecommunications sector? Despite progress, there is still significant concentration in the telecommunications industry. Experts suggest strengthening regulation to encourage competition and discourage extreme measures by companies.
