Primary Investigators:

Pedro Paranaguá, Getulio Vargas Foundation; Estela Waksberg Guerrini and Diogo Moisés Rodrigues, IDEC

Partnering Organization:

Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (IDEC)

Brazil’s telecommunications sector was privatized in 1998, but the rapid development of the telecommunications sector (including the growth of foreign ownership and the convergence of technologies around digital networks) seems likely to produce further revisions to the legal and policy frameworks surrounding telecommunications services.  In particular, as Internet use in Brazil increases, our team is interested in the extent to which ‘net neutrality’ or the principle of non-discrimination among internet uses is necessary to ensuring that the Internet remains a vehicle for fostering democracy, free speech, and an open/fair market that will benefit consumers at large.  This project explored the need for and viability of explicit net neutrality provisions in Brazilian law through a two-part research agenda that : (1) examined whether Brazil’s biggest Internet access providers are treating all users and data equally, via a comparative test of the quality/speed of Internet access service in different regions in Brazil; (2) analyzed and compared the different models of ‘neutrality’ that are applicable to different telecommunications services, with an attempt to present a critical view of how consumer’s rights are understood and subject to protection within those settings.   The research team also hosted a two day workshop to facilitate discussion among members of various civil society organizations working on and around these issues.  It also presented and will continue to present the proposed regulation results to Congress and other government representatives.

Research results presented on IDEC's website (in Brazilian): http://www.idec.org.br/telecom/

Aug. 2008 Telecommunication Workshop (photo: IDEC)