Brasilia, 27 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Minister of Communications Pimenta da Veiga stressed Tuesday - when announcing his upcoming resignation - that significant advancements were achieved in this area during his administration. He mentioned the expansion of radio broadcasting, with the granting of licenses to allow several stations to operate, which reduced the deficit in this sector. In telecommunications, more than 50 million fixed phones, 30 million cellular phones and more than 1 million public telephones were made available to the public, benefiting especially the poor.

The minister also emphasized the development of the postal area with the opening of post offices in all Brazilian towns and the installment of electronic booths in post offices, which gave clients without a computer at home access to the Internet.

Pimenta da Veiga informed also that the priority in his final days in office will be to discuss changes and conflicts with the Fund for the Universalization of the Telecommunication Sector (FUST), whose bill is currently in Congress. The draft of the bill on radiobroadcasintg, which establishes changes to the sector, should be sent to Congress in the next government. (MW)