TCU Discusses Digital Connectivity Project in Brazil With the OECD

The Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), represented by the Audit Department for Telecommunications (AudComunicações/SecexEnergia), took part in a meeting with the technical mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which is responsible for the Digital Connectivity Review of Brazil 2027 project. The meeting, held in May, brought together sector representatives to discuss the challenges and prospects of digital connectivity in the country.

The OECD initiative aims to assess the evolution of Brazil's telecommunications sector, identifying regulatory and market developments since the 2020 review, and formulating recommendations aligned with international best practices to guide public policy in the sector in the coming years.

During the meeting, the OECD sought to understand the TCU's perspective on the main challenges Brazil faces in telecommunications and digital connectivity, as well as the Court's role in overseeing and evaluating sectoral public policies. The group also used the meeting to discuss issues related to the coordination and governance of telecommunications public policies, including perceptions of a lack of long-term strategic planning for the sector and a high dependence on government programs with limited time horizons.

The AudComunicações team presented work carried out by the TCU in areas such as monitoring radiofrequency spectrum auctions, the use of resources from the Telecommunications Services Universalization Fund (FUST) a fund designed to finance policies and projects aimed at expanding access and promoting digital inclusion in the country and the Connected Education policy.

The OECD mission expressed interest in understanding how the Brazilian State structures the formulation, implementation, and coordination of connectivity policies, particularly in light of challenges involving joint action across different institutions and the need for coordination between telecommunications, digital services, and digital transformation.

The discussions also addressed issues related to the regulation of digital services, government coordination mechanisms for strategic decision-making, and challenges arising from overlapping mandates and institutional ambiguities among bodies responsible for policy formulation and execution in the sector.

Another key topic was the evolution of Brazil's regulatory framework since the OECD's last review, including amendments to the General Telecommunications Law, in particular the removal of the requirement for licensing orbital positions for satellites, the possibility of successive renewals of radiofrequency usage authorizations, and the progress observed following the restructuring of the Telecommunications Services Universalization Fund (FUST).

Also on the agenda were concerns about regulatory asymmetries, competition incentives, and the strengthening of small internet service providers. Looking ahead, participants highlighted the need for a more robust and stable state-level planning framework for the sector, less subject to changes in government and electoral cycles, clearer definition of the institutional roles of bodies such as the Ministry of Communications, the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), and central government entities, as well as stronger citizen and end-user participation in setting priorities for digital connectivity public policies.