Significant help is on the way for Italian families: a bonus of 100 euros intended to support the activation of ultra-broadband internet connections. This incentive, long awaited since 2022, finally seems close to being realized in 2024, after a long technical negotiation with the offices of European Commission.
Infratel’s consultation for the plan
A public consultation was opened by Infratel, the company of the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, to gather opinions on the plans of the plan. Traders are invited to express their views by 11 January 2024.
Voucher details: cost coverage and disbursement methods
The plan includes a voucher of 100 euros, in the form of a discount on the activation price and the monthly fee, including the modem. This figure is a revision compared to the previous 300 euros proposed, aiming to cover a greater number of families with the same financial allocation.
Requirements for link speed and access conditions
To qualify for the discount, families must activate or upgrade to a subscription with at least 300 megabits/second downloading. The voucher is aimed at those families who currently do not have a connectivity service or which have a speed lower than 300 megabits/second.
Change of operator and portability of the voucher
The voucher will be portable and transferable in the event of a change of subscription, to avoid contractual lock-in. However, there are limitations for new activations: only families without connection in the last 6 months will be able to request the voucher.
Context and history of ultra-broadband vouchers
The idea of a voucher to encourage the spread of ultra-broadband is not new. A first edition started at the end of 2020, with an ISEE ceiling of 20 thousand euros, but it did not achieve the desired success.
Conditions for families in the new bonus round
Confirmations are awaited on the use of the approximately 400 million already allocated. Probably, families who have already benefited from Phase 1 contributions will be excluded from this new initiative.