Bolivia takes on telcos, broadcasters over debts, irregularities

Bolivia's government found that telecom and transportation operators owed 170mn bolivianos (US$25mn) to the state.

Irregularities date back to 2009 and would include the renewal of licenses, regulation rates and unpaid fees in the millions, the telecommunications and transportation regulator (ATT) said.

The regulator accused the preceding Evo Morales administration of negligence, saying that “the legal processes have been initiated to obtain the collection in favor of the state, which the previous government left pending for more than a decade”.

With respect specifically to telcos, ATT said 58 cases of violation of contractual terms were found.

According to ATT official Carlos Aliaga, many telcos and broadcasters did not have a license or contract with ATT for some of the services provided, “incurring illegality, but also interfering with other legally established media signals,” in an apparent reference to pirate broadcasting.

"There is a conglomerate of identified operators and we will proceed to the seizure of equipment so that they do not interfere with those that are registered and that operate legally," ATT’s legal director said.

The list of telecommunications media and operators was not made public as the investigation is ongoing.