Anatel bars telcos from forcing customers to take bundled broadband

Brazil’s national telecoms regulator Anatel has outlawed the practice of telecoms operators requiring broadband subscribers to also subscribe to a fixed telephony service, Telecompaper reports. The watchdog said it had adopted new ‘precautionary measures’ to prevent telcos such as Telefonica (Telesp), Telemar Norte Lest (Oi), Global Village Telecom (GVT), Algar Telecom (formerly CTBC) and Brasil Telecom (BrT) from employing this kind of marketing. The ‘forced bundling’ of broadband services was barred by the country’s Code of Consumer Protection, but is still being used by operators. Anatel reports that to date only Telesp has not appealed against its new edict, which must be ratified by the regulator’s governing board. Telcos in breach of the new rules face fines of up to BRL25 million (USD14.2 million).