Half right…

15 March 2013

A major reform bill to increase competition in Mexico’s phone and television markets on Thursday cleared its first hurdle when it was approved by a committee in the lower house of Congress with no changes.

The reform, which aims to curb the dominance of Carlos Slim’s America Movil and broadcaster Televisa , is expected to be presented to the floor of Mexico’s lower house for a vote next week.

…

The constitutional reform, which was unveiled on Monday, will allow foreign companies greater participation in Mexico’s phone and television markets…

Uh… “greater participation” means complete ownership. The law now is that foreign companies can’t own more than 49% of a telecom or communications firm in Mexico. The “reforms” would allow up to 100% foreign ownership (i.e. dominance).

Interesting that the one of the biggest cheerleaders for this is Baker and MacKenzie, for whom the “reforms” are “nearly perfect”. Baker and MacKenzie is described in the Mexican press as a “consulting firm” which, I suppose, it is, in one of its many branches, but Baker and MacKenzie is actually a law firm that specializes in suing small businesses for copyright and patent infringement. Or, rather, it’s a “Swiss Verhein”… a world-wide network of law firms, all of which operate together, but can’t be held responsible as a unit for the actions of any one of the supposedly independent companies.