MCTIC makes a sneaky deal with Cisco on 5G technology, and opposition MPs are questioning it.
The Ministry of Science and Technology signed an agreement, without bidding or public consultation, with the technology company Cisco Systems for a series of activities, such as videoconferencing technology for remote healthcare services during the pandemic.
By Denise Assis, for the Journalists for Democracy
An agreement that is in the interest of the entire society is being surreptitiously negotiated between the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications and the technology company Cisco Systems, Inc. Called "Accelerating Digital Transformation," what the negotiation actually does is place Brazil in the middle of a war of giants established between the US and China for dominance of the 5G mobile technology market.
Why didn't the agreement go through Congress? Why wasn't the issue brought to light for the whole of society? These and other questions are being asked by federal deputies Margarida Salomão (PT-MG) and Natália Bonavides (PT/RN) and federal deputies Pedro Uczai (PT/SC) and Alencar Santana (PT/SP). They filed a request for information this Monday (June 1st) regarding the collaboration agreement “MCTIC and Cisco.”
The agreement was signed on May 27, 2020, without prior public consultation, without consulting the National Congress and the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), and without a bidding process, raising concerns about the lack of transparency and its content. Parliamentarians request that Ministers Marcos Cesar Pontes (MCTIC) and Ernesto Henrique Fraga Araújo (Foreign Affairs) provide information on, among other points: the exact terms of the agreement; the technical criteria that underpinned the signing of such a comprehensive and strategic agreement, specifically with Cisco; and the measures planned for the security of sensitive data and information, in accordance with Brazilian law.
“We want transparency. This agreement is very broad and involves quite sensitive issues related to national sovereignty: monitoring of the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation; videoconferencing technology to facilitate remote healthcare during the pandemic; technologies to support Industry 4.0, and there was no bidding process. It is essential that the ministers clearly explain the objectives and how this agreement was drawn up,” asks Margarida Salomão.
“The agreement also includes actions related to cyber education and 5G mobile telephony. Considering the relevance of the topics involved, it was essential that society, parliament, and the scientific community were consulted and participated in the drafting of the agreement. We want to know if national interests are being preserved and to understand the criteria for establishing the partnership with the foreign company,” the parliamentarians emphasized.