Brazil’s FCC gives the order to unblock X

Telecom providers must open the gates to Elon Musk’s X again.

By Umar Shakir, a news writer fond of the electric vehicle lifestyle and things that plug in via USB-C. He spent over 15 years in IT support before joining The Verge.

Oct 9, 2024, 2:28 PM UTC

Image: The Verge

Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency sent orders to service providers to unblock X, ending a five-week ban of the social media company.

The agency known as Anatel, which is like the country’s FCC, issued the directive today and indicated that each internet service provider is responsible for taking the measures to implement the order. Anatel said:

The time for the execution of the unblocking will depend on the measures used by the providers, according to their specificities. The temporary suspension of access to X had been determined by the Supreme Court itself in the face of the platform’s refusal to comply with judicial decisions.

The order comes as a result of Brazil’s supreme court saying that X may resume activities for its social network in the country. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Anatel to unblock X within 24 hours yesterday after it was determined X “met all the necessary requirements to return.”

The company, which is owned by Elon Musk, was temporarily banned after failing to designate a new legal representative in the country.

Musk had closed X’s offices in Brazil in August, claiming de Moraes threatened to arrest the company’s legal representative for not complying with “censorship orders.”