The association of independent providers explains to the Ministry representatives the role of proximity operators in supporting tourism and education

Rome, May 4, 2021. Assoprovider continues its dialogue with the Institutions to raise awareness on the most urgent issues for independent providers. 

Assoprovider, which can count on over 250 member companies, met with the Ministry for Innovation and Digital Transition, with contributions from the treasurer, Matteo Fici, and the president, Dino Bortolotto.

During the event, Assoprovider explained in detail how it operates today to serve the territories, providing a link between businesses and citizens, many of whom live in "white areas," zones where large operators have no interest in investing, and reducing the digital divide, thanks to the services and initiatives of its providers in Italy.

The association's support in tourism and education

During the meeting, which aimed to illustrate the proximity operator model to the Ministry representatives, various topics were addressed, from broadband to tourism, and even DAD. 

In his speech, Matteo Fici highlighted how the association over the years has undertaken initiatives to meet the needs for broadband infrastructure in certain markets:

"We have worked hard to provide broadband to companies that are an asset to the country, such as many players in the tourism sector who, without our support, would have been even more severely affected by the pandemic crisis. Similarly, we have worked with schools, supporting them in delicate activities, such as distance learning," explained Matteo Fici during his speech.

Requests: the reduction of contributions on licensed frequencies

The meeting provided an opportunity to highlight some of the battles that the association has been fighting for years to reduce the digital divide and bring equity to the Italian telecommunications market, such as the need to reduce the cost for independent providers of licensed point-to-point frequencies.

The cost of point-to-point frequencies today causes a market distortion. The quantity discount mechanism, whereby an operator receives more discount on frequencies based on the number of clients they have, results in a 400% difference between the administrative contribution paid by a small operator and that paid by a large user of the exact same public asset.

“The Ministry has shown great interest in our model of territorial digitalization, and I hope that our requests can finally be accepted for the good of the country, in the phase of overcoming the Covid crisis that we are going through,” emphasized Dino Bortolotto during his speech.