The Challenges of the Argentine Universal Service in Telecommunications: New Regulations, Old Problems

The Argentine telecommunications sector has undergone significant regulatory developments in recent years. This paper aims to identify the reasons that justify state regulatory interventions in this sector while also highlighting the definitional elements of universal service within the industry. Following this approach, various recent state measures identified as part of the Administration's traditional promotional activities are presented. It is argued that there is a contradiction between the actions of the regulator and the executive: While the regulatory authority seeks to encourage investments in areas that the market cannot or does not want to serve, the executive discourages such investments. This discouragement is implemented through measures that do not appear to be supported by the regulatory principles justifying state intervention.