(Finance) – About 4 million households in Italy continue to use basic broadband (less than 30 Mbit / s). A still significant number to which we must add families who do not have any type of Internet access, despite a wide availability of infrastructures suitable for connections at least 30 Mbit / s. From the indicators of DESI 2021 the issue of the lack of ultra-broadband subscriptions clearly emerges, which places our country in the last places in Europe for fixed network broadband subscriptions, with a result of about 20 out of a maximum of 100. In this scenario to promote and incentivize the demand for ultra-broadband connectivity services (NGA and VHCN) in all areas of the country, expanding the number of families that use digital services using high-speed networks of at least 30 Mbit / s, Infratel Italy last April 27, on behalf of Ministry of Economic Development, launched the public consultation on the second phase of the “Voucher plan to stimulate household demand for ultra-broadband connectivity”. The Plan also aims to incentivize the construction of vertical cabling works in condominiums, possibly also aimed at the construction of multi-fiber systems, and the adoption of digital citizenship services, in order to support the development of smart readiness, facilitating and speeding up the process of activating ultra-broadband services, and the push for citizens to use digital services, to develop digital citizenship by simplifying relations between citizens, businesses and the public administration.
At the end of the public consultation, the intervention plan in question will be notified to European Commission to then be governed by a specific decree of the Minister of Economic Development. The total resources allocated for the intervention amount to 407,470,769 euros divided among the individual regions on the basis of the availability of resources Development and Cohesion Fund (FSC) it is already distributed, according to national legislation, among the various regions of the country. The measure will last up to 24 months or until the allocated resources have been used up.
A first phase of intervention, launched from November 2020, concerned the less well-off families (ISEE range up to 20 thousand euros) without any connectivity services, or with connectivity services with speeds of less than 30 Mbit / s. For these families, the voucher was issued for the transition to the best speed available at their respective homes. A further phase of intervention, intended for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, was launched on March 1, 2022.
Connectivity voucher – The intervention in favor of families provides for the provision of a voucher worth 300 euros, for the activation of services with at least 30 Mbps maximum download speed, made with any available technology and without prejudice to the principle according to which, where more than one ultra-broadband connectivity option is present in a real estate unit, the voucher can only be issued for the subscription of the best performing offer available at the specific street address. The voucher will be issued in the form of a discount on the activation price (where present) and on the amount of the service delivery fees up to 24 months, and will include the supply of the related electronic devices (CPE). Families who do not have any connectivity service can request the voucher contribution. The measure also intends to incentivize the step change for all connections below 30 Mbps, to switch to the most performing technology available at the civic. The voucher is not allowed in any case if the beneficiary (family) already has a contract with at least 30 Mbps maximum download speed. The value of the voucher intended for families, equal to 300 euros, was defined on the basis of an estimate of the prices of the offers currently on the market. In particular, it has been estimated that with such a contribution it is possible to cover on average up to 50% of the costs of a contract that guarantees an NGA connectivity service at at least 30 Mbps for a period of up to 24 months. Only one contribution is recognized for each family unit present in the same unit
housing. In order to avoid the risk that the payment of the voucher negatively affects the competitive dynamics between operators, there is no obligation on the part of the beneficiary to remain bound by the contract for which the voucher was used. If the beneficiary decides to change operator, his right to use the remaining amount of the voucher to sign a new contract will remain valid. The levels of connectivity, in this case, must continue to be at least those on the basis of which the beneficiary obtained the voucher.
Vertical wiring – As a further facilitation, the possibility is envisaged to encourage interventions for the vertical cabling of buildings, with general benefits in terms of smart readiness and digitization. The intervention – reads the document published by Infratel Italia – therefore proposes to equip the buildings and the various housing solutions identified as “condominiums” with the necessary predispositions enabling at least the ultra-broadband connectivity services in FTTH technology. The infrastructural interventions for the vertical cabling of the buildings will have to enable the connection of each single real estate unit with the ROE. It will therefore be necessary to reserve a fiber optic link for each potentially serviceable real estate unit. As a further element of evaluation, it is also planned to evaluate the possibility of supporting the integrability of buildings in a broader framework, which may allow, in addition to facilitating the adoption of ultra-broadband by the users of the individual real estate units , also the availability for the building of the infrastructure suitable to support access to advanced digital services such as “building to grid” projects, so as to create the possibility of supporting transversal actions for energy efficiency and smart mobility, whose feasibility is conditioned by the availability of a multi-fiber system. In this sense, the evaluation should be traced back to the possibility of supporting the construction of multiservice systems according to the specifications of the CEI 306-2 guide. Beneficiaries of the facilitation intervention are the Condominiums that build the vertical cabling infrastructure.
Digital services – A further contribution is envisaged in response to the request by the Beneficiary of digital services, including support for digital citizenship such as digital identity (SPID), Certified E-mail services and cloud services. With reference to digital identity services (SPID), the use of the voucher can allow to reduce any remote recognition costs for the activation of a SPID identity. The use of SPID is in fact free, but it is possible to activate it by choosing between free or paid methods, by contacting one of the authorized identity managers. In any case, as already foreseen today, once the SPID has been obtained, no further costs or fees will be required. As regards the supply of certified electronic mail boxes, the aim is to encourage their use among citizens who do not have them, for their needs relating to digital administration and in the use of services related to a ‘digital identity. A PEC box may be requested for each citizen or for each member of the family unit. Finally, it is planned to incentivize the use of cloud services aimed at the individual beneficiary or in a “family” package for the management and storage of multimedia content (eg: photos, videos, documents) by raising the service level of the basic offers. available on the market, meeting the needs of the beneficiaries. Beneficiaries of the facilitation intervention are the suppliers of the various digital services, whether they are accredited operators for the voucher connectivity measure or other subjects.