Italy

[IT] Strategies for ultra-broadband and digital growth

IRIS 2015-5:1/20

Ernesto Apa & Marco Bellezza

Portolano Cavallo Studio Legale

During the meeting of the Council of Ministers held on 3 March 2015, the Italian Government approved the Italian strategies for ultra-broadband and digital growth for the years 2014-2020. The Italian strategy for ultra-broadband, which provides the allocation of public resources for a total amount of EUR 6 billion (taken from the FESR - Fondo europeo di sviluppo regionale - and FEASR - Fondo europeo agricolo per lo sviluppo rurale - European Funds, the Development and Cohesion Fund and the funds in connection with the Investment Plan for Europe), shall be articulated as follows: (a) simplification of rules and reduction of administrative fees, aimed at eliminating barriers due to implementation costs; (b) improvement of the management of the subsoil by introducing a registry of soil and subsoil, which shall grant the monitoring of interventions and the best usage of existing infrastructures; (c) electromagnetic limits consistent with those applicable in other European countries; (d) fiscal and credit facilitations with preferential rates in the most profitable areas, aimed at promoting a “quality leap”; (e) public subsidies in order to invest in less important areas; and (f) infrastructures made directly by the State in areas subject to market failures.

The Government declared that the implementation of the strategy and the achievement of the objectives set forth under the European Digital Agenda would depend on private investments. Moreover, the strategy for digital growth (that will have its main base in the platform named “Italia Log In”) aims at achieving the following objectives: (a) the analogue switch-off of the Public Administration, with the digitisation of the public services offered to citizen, (b) a new systematic approach based on open logic and standards, maximum interoperability of data and services, flexible and user-centred architectures; (c) transparency and sharing of public data (dati.gov.it); (d) new models for public/private partnerships; (e) coordination of all digital transformation interventions; (f) the enhancement of the digital culture and the development of digital competences in companies and citizens; (g) solutions aimed at encouraging cost reduction and improving the quality of services, also through mechanisms of remuneration able to stimulate suppliers to look for more innovative ways to provide/use services; (h) the progressive adoption of cloud models; and (i) higher reliability and security standards.