People

The Brazilian government has confirmed Elifas Gurgel do Amaral, 49, as president of Anatel, the federal telecom regulatory agency. Gurgel, an engineer and reserve army colonel, had taken over on an ad hoc basis in January. He is a close ally of Communications Minister Eunício Oliveira and member of the PMDB party, a member of the ruling coalition. The government picked Gurgel over senior career Anatel officials, despite opposition from Finance Minister Antonio Palocci and telecom operators concerned that nominally independent Anatel is losing its autonomy. Brazil has one of the largest and fastest-growing telecom markets in the developing world.