This is an automatic translation of the press release from the Brazilian Ministry of Communications

Brazil will remain a member of the Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an organization of the United Nations system linked to the information, communications (ICT) and telecommunications technology sector. A eleição ocorreu pendante a Conferência de Plenipotenciários da UIT, em Bucareste, na Romênia, nesta segunda-feira (3), that contou com has participatedção de integrantes do Ministério das Comunicações (MCom), da Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) and do Ministry of Foreign Relations. Furthermore, the specialist in telecommunications regulation, Agostinho Linhares de Souza, a career servant of Anatel and who works at MCom, was chosen to compose the Radiocommunications Regulatory Board (RRB) of the same body.

Two of the Council’s 12 seats have been allocated to American countries. Canadian Chantal Beaumier has been chosen for one of the vacancies. The dispute for the other seat was between Brazilian and Mexican Javier Juárez Mojica – who lost by one vote. Agostinho Linhares, a telecommunications engineer with a doctorate from the University of Brasilia (UnB), is the first Brazilian in 30 years to hold a seat on the Council.

The RRB is the ITU body responsible for approving standards used in the radiocommunications sector and harmonizing their application among member states. In addition, it is responsible for the coordination between space systems and between communication systems on the ground.

ITU COUNCIL – Out of a total of 182 countries that were able to vote, Brazil received 166 votes. The body has 48 seats, nine of which are reserved for the Americas. Argentina, Mexico, the Bahamas, Canada, Cuba, the United States, Paraguay and El Salvador were also elected to participate in the Council.

“The result reflects international recognition of the technical and balanced performance of the country in the international agenda of connectivity and standardization of ICTs”, underlined the National Secretary of Broadcasting, Maximiliano Martinhão, present at the international meeting.