"What has never changed in Assoprovider from 1999 to today? The sense of brotherhood. We are in a 'continuous assembly' even if we meet a couple of times a year. And over the years, great friendships have formed among many of us.", explain Antonio Ruggiero, administrative secretary of Assoprovider, is one of the historical figures of the association, a protagonist since its inception. 

In this article, we retrace with him the long journey that has led Assoprovider to become a point of reference for independent Italian providers. 

The story that Antonio tells us is also an opportunity to retrace some of the most significant milestones in the spread of the Internet in our country and to honor the young protagonists of the time: young people in their early twenties who, with limited resources and great determination, fought against the giants of telecommunications to serve the interests of medium and small entrepreneurs and all citizens.

"Terrible boys" against injustices and mountains of bureaucracy

Antonio's story begins in the mid-nineties, when a group of young adventurers ventured into the Internet connection market, offering the first subscriptions to individuals and businesses that wanted to connect to the web:

My journey is similar to that of many young people in those years who were fascinated by the world of telecommunications. Together with some friends, I founded an IT company. When the Internet began to spread, we sensed the great opportunity and then we launched the spin-off Netfly srl to offer subscription-based Internet to a potential user base of 200,000 inhabitantsi, of the municipalities of Agro Nocerino Sarnese. Things were going well: we had about 800 paying users, who held a subscription of 300,000 lire per year to access the Internet and email».

However, the situation was destined to change rapidly: the entry of Libero.it in July 1999, which allowed anyone to connect to the Internet for free by registering on the portal, threatened to undermine many of the early providers that had spread throughout Italy:

"Many of us, with the entry of Libero.it into the market, found ourselves at a crossroads: whether to give up everything and pursue something else, or not to surrender. This is how Assoprovider was born."

The birth of Assoprovider with the help of a monthly magazine

After the "blow" from Libero.it, the real challenge was how to connect independent providers and convince them to work as a team towards common goals: 

"There was a monthly magazine, Internet News. In the last pages, you could find a list of providers divided by region and locality. At that time, we gathered a number of contacts and used email to get to know each other and understand what the common needs were. The next step was the creation of an association.".

Some of the providers from the list met in Rome, in front of a notary, on July 26, 1999. In the meantime, the name of the association had been decided, Assoprovider. The initial group included around forty companies, which would later become ninety after two months. Today, the Assoprovider network can count on more than 230 companies. 

The first three major victories

"The first major victory was the recognition of ISPs as telecommunications operators, in what has gone down in history as the 'Provider Saving Law'". Finally, we were recognized as communication enterprises. This allowed us to be on par with other major market operators and enter into the same agreements with the dominant operator Telecom Italia. Later, in 2005, we achieved another incredible result: the conviction of Telecom for abuse of dominant position, and a consequent fine of 152 million euros».

Two incredible achievements in the early years of the association were followed by other results, including the liberalization of wifi in public venues or in confined areas of public attendance:

"This was the most exciting victory for me. It wasn't easy to pass the law because at the time, in 2005, only the opposition supported us. I clearly remember two protest sit-ins, the first at Montecitorio, the other at Palazzo Madama. Today many of our members offer connectivity not on cable but wireless. Without that victory, an entire market would not have developed.".

Watch the video to see all the most important milestones in Assoprovider's history: Apro19 – Assoprovider's 20th Anniversary

The sense of brotherhood

As the final "stage" of his narrative, Antonio helps us take stock of what has changed in the twenty years of the association's existence and what, on the contrary, has remained as it was in the beginning:

"Membership has increased, as has awareness. Today, many young people who want to work in telecommunications consider us a point of reference. and they turn to us to understand how to proceed, obtain authorizations, and navigate bureaucratic obstacles. What hasn't changed is the atmosphere, the spirit of brotherhood that has developed among the members, a friendship that goes beyond work and the association's objectives».

To convey the idea of brotherhood that binds the members of Assoprovider, Antonio recounts an episode featuring another of Assoprovider's historical members, Matteo Fici:

"Matteo has always been committed in Palermo to activities against the mafia. Due to this commitment, he suffered an act of intimidation: a bus he used to teach young people the fundamentals of computer science around the city was burned. Then, on my own initiative, I proposed a collection among the members: in a short time, we raised the money to purchase a new bus. But this is just one of the many episodes that testify to the spirit of the association that has remained intact over the years.".

Would you also like to know the benefits of Assoprovider for members? Read about how to try our services with the Green Card. Assoprovider – Green Card