Telecommunications in Venezuela: what OFAC license 61 authorizes — and what it bars
General licenses 61 and 62, signed on August 21, 2026, allow selling and installing equipment, fiber, data transit and cloud services to Conatel, CANTV and Movilnet, and in the same text bar forming the joint venture that would invest in the sector. Which law governs the contract, who must be sent a report on every transaction, and what is still missing on the Venezuelan side.
Since 2019 a U.S. company could carry a phone call into Venezuela. Since August 21 it can sell the equipment that carries it, lay it, repair it and operate it. What it cannot do is put capital into the network it just repaired.
The U.S. Treasury's sanctions office issued two general licenses for Venezuelan telecommunications on Friday, August 21, plus a frequently asked question interpreting them. License 61 authorizes rebuilding the network and bars forming the company that would finance it. License 62 lets firms sign contracts they cannot yet perform.
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