Highlights will be analyzed from this 3rd; parties criticize the inclusion of renewal of broadcasting licenses in the text
The Plenary of the Chamber of Deputies approved on Monday (18.Apr.2022) the basic text of MP (provisional measure) 1077/21, which creates the Brazil Internet Program. Action promotes free access to mobile broadband internet for basic education students of the public school system of families enrolled in the CadUnique (Single Registry for Social Programs of the Federal Government).
according to substitute of the rapporteur, deputy Sidney Leite (PSD-AM), the initiative will reach CadÚnico students who are also enrolled in schools in indigenous and quilombola communities, in addition to special non-profit schools that work exclusively in this modality.
This access must be guaranteed by distributing a chip, data package or access device to students, mainly cell phones. Free internet access may be granted to more than 1 student per family.
You highlights presented by the parties in an attempt to change parts of the text will be analyzed from this Tuesday (19.Apr).
RENEWAL OF GRANTS
Leite’s substitute also included a new topic in the MP: the renewal of broadcasting licenses. According to the rapporteur’s text, the Ministry of Communications must recognize requests submitted after the deadline for the renewal of the concession or permission of broadcasting services, provided that they are forwarded or filed by the date of publication of the MP conversion law.
The leader of Novo, deputy Tiago Mitraud (MG), asked that this part of the text be disregarded because it is a matter not related to the main theme of the MP. “The correct model is to make new bids for these concessions, instead of bringing legal uncertainty to the country, by renewing concessions that have already expired.“, he said.
This point was also criticized by deputy Kim Kataguiri (Brazil-SP Union). “What does the renewal of irregular broadcasting concession have to do with chip, tablet and cell phone for school students?”, he questioned. “One thing has absolutely nothing to do with the other, and this was crammed into the text”, he criticized.
The President of the Chamber, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), explained that the MP deals with communication, a topic that includes broadcasting.
For the leader of Psol, deputy Samia Bomfim (Psol-SP), the discussion on the renewals should be held at another time, with prior debate in the committees.
PREVIOUS VETO
In the discussion of the MP in plenary, several deputies recalled that the president’s government Jair Bolsonaro (PL) vetoed, in March of last year, the proposal that provided for assistance of R$ 3.5 billion from the Union to the States, Federal District and municipalities, in order to guarantee internet access for students and teachers of the public networks of education as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. The veto was overturned by Congress in June of the same year, but the government appealed to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) against the measure.
The leader of the PT, deputy Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG), stated that the project approved by parliamentarians was more effective than the provisional measure. He defended the expansion of the free internet program to all public school students and also the investment in broadband in schools, in addition to serving teachers.
the deputy Alice Portugal (PCdoB-BA) also criticized the veto of the project and the subsequent inclusion of the topic in an MP. “Now it is clear that it is an electoral project, not least because it has no goals”, he stated.
In the opinion of deputy Pompeo de Mattos (PDT-RS), Bolsonaro took advantage of part of the project and presented a provisional measure to guarantee the authorship of the measure. “President Bolsonaro saw the serious mistake he made and sent it from there to here so that he can take the laurels of victory as if he had put the internet in schools”, declared.
For Kataguiri, the provisional measure comes in an election year.”to make populism and cheap demagoguery”. “There is no program to universalize access to the internet, but it is sending a chip to people who are in the single registry in regions that do not have a phone signal, much less internet”, he lamented.
He also warned about the forecast of waiver of bidding for the logistics of delivery of equipment. “There will be carte blanche“, he said.
With information from Chamber Agency
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