Rescue of Casa del Marino in Limbo

by Maureen Dietrich

13 Apr 15 

www.mazmessenger.com

 

The board of trustees of Pro Rescate de la Casa del Marino de Mazatlán has sent a letter to the President of Mexico complaining that the Secretary of Communications and Transport SCT) has not taken seriously nor answered its offer to begin restauration of the INAH protected building sent six months ago.

President of the board of trustees, Felipe de Jesús Hernández Ascencio, said they sent the SCT a project outline for the engineering, architecture and an economic viability study and have not heard a word in six months.

The members of Pro Rescate have for years pushed for the reconstruction and remodeling of the Casa del Marino which would include a museum, restaurant, souvenir sales and cafeteria.

Hernández Ascencio criticized the municipality for not assisting in the project and planning to demolish the building and replace it with a plaza for vendors. That, he said, they will not permit.

(from Noroeste)

Cruise Ships to México up Almost 30%

by Murry Page
30 Jan 15
mazmessenger.com

According to the latest report from Port System the National Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), the arrival of cruise ships to México grew 28.9 percent in 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 with the arrival of 2,091 cruise ships compared to 1,622 in 2013.

Cruise ships arriving on México’s Pacific coast were up 42.9 percent with a total of 720 arrivals in 2014 compared to 504 during the prior year.

However, the arrival of cruise ships at Cozumel on the coast of the Gulf of México and the Caribbean continues to lead with 1,107 ports of call last year, representing a 23.7 percent over 2013. Puerto Progreso in the state of Yucatan had 104 arrivals, a 16.9 percent increase over the prior year and Majahual in the state of Quintana Roo saw 158 ports of call, representing a growth of 17.9 percent over 2013.

On the Pacific coast, Ensenada is still the leader with 286 cruise ships calling on the city, an increase of 46.7 percent over 2013. Ensenada was followed by Cabo San Lucas with 124 arrivals representing a growth of 30.5 percent. Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco had 110 arrivals, which represented a 35.8 percent increase. Although Mazatlán had only 35 arrivals, that was a 483 percent increase over the 2013 ports of call.

(from El Sol de Mazatlán)

SCT head hails telecom laws

Thursday, 14 August 2014 01:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thenews.com.mx

SCT head hails telecom laws

BY LILLIAN REYES

The News

MEXICO CITY – Communication and Transportation Secretary (SCT) Gerardo Ruiz Esparza said Wednesday that he was pleased the Federal Telecommunications Law came into effect.

The new Telecommunications Law was published this year on July 14 in the Official Gazette and it will ensure universal digital inclusion of Internet, increase competition in the sector, improve quality and the cost of telecommunication services.

Ruiz Esparza said that one of the law’s main reaches already tangible for consumers is connectivity with more than 40,000 public spaces in Mexico provided with Internet access thanks to the Mexico Connected program.

This program aims to fulfill the constitutional goal of guaranteeing Internet service in a total of 250,000 public spaces, such as preschools, elementary and secondary schools, high schools, universities, hospitals, health centers and libraries.

Ruiz Esparza said that this law was also important in the cellphone and landline sectors because it will boost productivity, reduce companies’ operating costs and eliminate roaming to national landlines, which will save users approximately 19.6 billion pesos a year.

Furthermore, cellphone users will have phone signal across the country regardless of the phone provider, freedom to change provider and keep the same phone and number without incurring any fees and they’ll be entitled to compensation for service failures. Cellphones’ balance will be valid for up to a year and users will be able to check their balance for free.

Phone providers will have special services for people with special needs, as well as phones with specific functions, programs or applications.

SCT: 14 tasks completed in ’13

Tuesday, 29 July 2014 01:10

thenews.com.mx

SCT: 14 tasks completed in ’13

35 programs will be implemented by Peña Nieto

BY LILLIAN REYES

The News

The Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT) said in a statement on Monday that in 2013 the federal government completed 14 of the commitments made my President Enrique Peña Nieto and that 35 more have been initiated around the country towards modernization, conservation and growth.

The SCT said that the projects in progress are improving road and highway infrastructure to create more efficient transportation to benefit thousands of people in rural communities and cities.

Of the 266 commitments made by Peña Nieto during his election campaign, the SCT is responsible for fulfilling 105 of them, said the statement. The execution of the work corresponding with the commitments are programmed according to criteria and logistics in order to achieve the most efficient application of resources to complete the projects, said the SCT.

Of the 14 commitments completed in 2013, three are in Quintana Roo, two in Coahuila, the State of Mexico and Chiapas, and one in Zacatecas, Colima, Morelos, Veracruz and Guanajuato.

In Chiapas, 70 kilometers of the Limas-Revolución Mexicana highway were reconstructed and 120 kilometers of asphalt were renovated. Along the remaining roadway, drainage was cleaned and signs were replaced.

The 122th Governmental Compromise (CG) was finished in December 2013 with an investment of 360 million pesos ($27.6 million). A total of 190 kilometers of road were rehabilitated and constructed for the development of commerce, trade, agriculture and tourism, said the SCT.

Also in Chiapas, CG-237 was completed with the rehabilitation of the Motozintla-Tapachula highway, with new asphalt, six new barriers, renovated drainage works and new signs over a distance of 86 kilometers.

In Coahuila, CG-186 was completed to modernize the San Pedro-Cuatrociénegas highway with an addition of 40 kilometers and the renovation of 142 kilometers of pavement, drainage works, ditches and new signs.

In Colima, CG-072 was completed to widen the first stage of the Comala bypass and the Quesería Boulevard from seven to 18 meters across. Also conservation works for the Colima-Coquimatlán road, the Ixtlahuacán bypass and the Turla-Ixtlahuacán rural road were completed.

The projects in Colima were completed with an investment of 114 million pesos, said the SCT statement.

SCT creates new disaster protocol

Tuesday, 15 July 2014 11:45

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thenews.com.mx

The Communications and Transport (SCT) designed a protocol that allows different levels of government to act in coordination to ensure connectivity in the risk of possible disaster and to effectively manage emergencies that impact the sector. The SCT general coordinator of centers José Antonio Rodarte Leal said that disaster risk is latent. Due to its geographical position, Mexico is exposed to a wide variety of risks by hydrometeorological phenomena and geological issues impacting the population, such as tidal waves, fires, floods, landslides or drought. He said that acting on the instructions of the head of the SCT, Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, the first actions presented are to restore connectivity and communication between the affected areas, ensure the arrival of help services and the supply of inputs, as well as the mobility of people. He said that the heads of the SCT in all states are tasked with acknowledging any incident or situation that arises in the federal road network, ports and airports to the central authority.
This also includes any other areas that are directly relevant to this department or other federal agencies where their support can help contribute to the peace and welfare of the population. It is reported that recently the SCT delegates met with the directors of the National Bank of Public Works and Services (Banobras), to implement more agile payment mechanisms of estimates through the Natural Disasters Fund (Fonden) This is so that, after the declaration of disaster come, payments estimates are generated in five days instead of 25, to restore normal conditions in the affected populations. In a statement, Rodarte Leal recalled that last year 42 disaster declarations in 23 states were enacted. He said only in Guerrero had the SCT implemented actions that allowed the rehabilitation almost immediately for Acapulco Airport to ensure more than 5,000 passengers were evacuated to Mexico City through 50 flights.
THE NEWS

Secretary of Transport Budgets 574 Million Pesos for Sinaloa

by Maureen Dietrich

21 May 14

mazmessenger.com

 

The federal Secretaría de Communicaciones y Transportes (SCT) has budgeted an historic 3,100 million pesos for Sinaloa public works this year, of which 574 million pesos are earmarked for south Sinaloa.

The 2014 budget represents a 59.3 percent increase, taking into account that last year the federal transportation department allocated 1,946 million pesos and in 2012, 848 million pesos.

Of the 574 million pesos for south Sinaloa, Mazatlán has been apportioned 214.9 million to be used for construction of federal highways and lead-in roads as well as maintenance. (from Noroeste)

Telecom reform is already having an effect: SCT

Wednesday, 29 January 2014 
BY YVONNE REYES CAMPOS
The News

MEXICO CITY – A final proposal is now ready on the secondary legislation supplementing last year’s telecommunications reform, according to Communications and Transportation Secretariat (SCT) Director Gerardo Ruiz Esparza.

Ruiz Esparza said the laws would make changes to more than 300 articles of 11 laws being reformed.
Ruiz Esparza’s announcement was made at the plenary session of the federal deputies associated with the Green Party (PVEM) and the ruling Institutional Revolutionary (PRI), where he added that several different government agencies participated in preparing the draft of the legislation, which also received input from broadcasting companies and international bodies such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

He went on to mention that reports have appeared about telecommunications companies selling off their assets in anticipation of the tougher antitrust regulations that are expected to be established by the secondary legislation.

“If some service providers begin to take legal measures so that they won’t be considered monopolies, then that should be considered as a success of the constitutional reform,” Ruiz Esparza said.

Other provisions of the legislation will include measures to protect consumers from misleading advertising and abusive service contracts, he said, adding that, “Measures must be established to create certainty among consumers about what they’re paying and what they’re receiving.”

Mexico starts project to boost broadband access

Monday 16 December 2013 | 08:40 CET | News
 

Mexico's Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) has launched a project dubbed 'Mexico Conectado' ('Connected Mexico'), which seeks to boost broadband access across the country. The project covers the deployment of broadband lines in over 250,000 public spaces, including schools, government institutions, and hospitals by 2018. Via this project, the government plans to expand internet penetration to 60 percent of the population. According to Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), internet penetration in Mexico stood at 36.5 percent of the population at end-June.