First with Giorgetti and then with Colao, a sudden gust of wind arrives from the Draghi government on the project that never really started. But there is the usual issue of governance. The president of the Paita Transport Commission at Formiche.net: better a public network, but just waste time. The Recovery Plan is also involved
Do it quickly and possibly well. After weeks of silence, the light on the game seems to have turned on again for the creation of a unique infrastructure for the ultra-fast band. The merit of two ministers who have removed from mothballs a dossier that has been talked about, on and off, for over two years. Or Giancarlo Giorgetti, Minister of Economic Development e Vittorio Colao, owner of the Innovation. Two voices to say the same thing: just mess around, the single network is needed and must be done now. Also because, it should be remembered, the Recovery Fund foresees, for Italy, about eighty billion for digitization. And not networking means mortgaging the entire European effort. Too much to risk.
THE THRUST ON THE NETWORK OF COLAO AND GIORGETTI
Giorgetti on Friday morning was clear, answering a question at the end of the meeting with the French Minister of Economy, Bruno the Mayor. “The project on the single network, which has had delays, must go through quickly and offer efficient responses. In this way the plan would certainly be acceptable instead if it is something that hinders or prevents the achievement of our goal then it becomes a problem. ” Background message: “The Italian government is not against the single network project but is against delays.”
That the mantra in the government on the single network is to do soon is also confirmed by what Colao said in a hearing in the House. “Today, fiber coverage reaches just under 34% of Italian families. The problem does not only concern the infrastructure but also the rate of access to internet access data services. In 2020 there are 10 million families, 39% of the current ones who have not activated internet access offers on the fixed network, and over 5.5 million families, another 21% of the total, who use internet access but with speeds of less than 30 megabits per second. So in total there are about 16 million families, 60% of the total, who either do not use fixed-line internet connection services or do not have an ultra-broadband connection. “
THE REBUS OF CONTROL
Now, the problem always remains the same, the structure of the single society. The canvas is always the same. Tim’s secondary network, the one that from the locker on the street goes up to the house and together with the primary one in the Fibercop company, put together with that of Open Fiber, or the State (50% Cdp and 50% Enel, with the unknown however, the sale of the share of the electricity group to the Australian fund Macquarie, which in the event of the release of the transaction would be a match for the network). All to give life to AccessCo, the only company in the network. The Conte government’s plan envisioned a single network under Tim’s proprietary control, with a strong presence of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.
But now the wind seems to have changed: Colao limited himself to nominating Cdp for a decisive role in the country’s cabling, while Giorgetti, also in the hearing, seems to have rejected the hypothesis of attributing 51% of the new unitary network to Tim and ultra-fast: “the single network makes sense if it has public control”, otherwise “it is not that we recreate a private monopoly on the network, much less a foreign-controlled one (the French Vivendi is the main shareholder, with 23.75% , ed). ” Too bad that the network is the guarantee of Tim’s debt and therefore it is difficult for the former monopolist to cede control.
SINGLE NETWORK AT ALL COSTS
Formiche.net asked for a comment Raffaella Shirt, president of the Chamber’s Transport and Telecommunications Commission, with a share of Italia Viva. “Minister Giorgetti is right as well as Minister Colao. I very much appreciated this push and stimulus to the project ”, Paita said. “The single network is essential, let’s face it. But since we have to continue and complete an essential infrastructure work, also because a good part of the Recovery Plan goes in that direction, continuing to talk about a legal entity that never starts is not of much use. We need to spend European resources and innovate the country, this is the imperative. And from Giorgetti and Colao a message has arrived in this direction. “
The deputy does not even shy away from a comment on perhaps the thorniest issue, the governance of the network company. And here Italia Viva gets in the wake of Giorgetti. “I certainly agree with public governance, even if it cannot be considered that the model used up to now to wire the white areas (belonging to Open Fiber, ed) worked little. Obviously you have to change gear. I mean, public governance would be preferable, but any corporate decision that is made must lead to a single result, digitizing the country. The result is what matters. We all know how far this country is behind. And it is no coincidence that Europe is asking us to accelerate. The single network must be done immediately and well, net of corporate decisions. “