MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The Mexican government's consumer protection agency said on Sunday it had opened a class action lawsuit against Carlos Slim's fixed line phone company Telmex for making illegal charges. Rafael Ochoa, a legal expert at the federal prosecutor's office for the consumer (Profeco), said Telmex had made unwarranted charges for a privacy service and that Profeco had filed the suit with a federal civil court in Mexico City.

Mexico City, Mar 23 (EFE).- Mexico's lower house of Congress has passed an ambitious telecommunications overhaul bill aimed at boosting competition, breaking up dominant players and opening the door to greater foreign investment. The legislation would create a new autonomous body, the Federal Telecommunications Institute, or Ifetel, to regulate the use of spectrum and oversee broadcasting and telecommunications networks and the services delivered on them. Ifetel also would be charged with granting and revoking broadcast and telecommunications concessions.