Law ensures the provision of telecommunications services by cooperatives

On 7 January 2026, Federal Law No. 15,324/2026 was published, amending Federal Law No. 9,472/1997 (the General Telecommunications Law) and Federal Law No. 9,295/1996 to ensure that cooperatives may provide telecommunications services.

In this regard, several amendments were introduced to the General Telecommunications Law and Federal Law No. 9,295/1996 to expressly allow cooperatives to obtain authorization to provide telecommunications services of collective interest. Previously, the legislation established that only business corporations were eligible to obtain authorization to operate telecommunications services of collective interest.

Additionally, cooperatives have been granted the same rights and obligations as companies with respect to the provision of telecommunications services, including: (i) the right to confidential treatment of technical, operational, economic‑financial, and accounting information in proceedings before ANATEL; (ii) the possibility of obtaining incentives for investments in research and development projects in the telecommunications sector; and (iii) the obligation to make their networks available to other service providers.

Click here to access the full text of Federal Law No. 15,324/2026.

This content is part of the Telecommunications Bulletin for February 2026, bringing together the main regulatory and sector highlights of the period. This material is for informational purposes only. Our Telecommunications team is available to provide specialized legal advice.