Priorities: this is, in essence, the synthesis that emerges from the analysis proposed by Professor Gilardoni on 20 June with the Observatory on “The costs of not doing”. Priorities that the country must know how to give itself and which - unfortunately - it still doesn't know how to or doesn't want to give itself. By assuming, with this, important risks. Because the growth and socio-economic development of a country are not meteorological phenomena to be fatalistically expected; are related to fundamental structuring factors. The crisis that Italy is going through is above all one of competitiveness and innovation. Not only are those with the highest debt more exposed to the global landscape, but also those with the lowest economic growth. And Italy has a modest growth trend, albeit within the modest euro area. All right, we have the accounts in order, but now we need to think about the recovery. Information society technologies have enormous potential in this respect. The Observatory correctly highlights this and places the infrastructures for electronic communications in first place among the investments with the highest economic and social return. Agcom has been saying it for some time, since it seemed that the undersigned was preaching in the desert. The European Commission, through the digital agenda, has now identified the lines of intervention that the Member States must develop to create a European digital market powered by ultra-fast internet networks and interoperable applications. There will be a great deal to lose if no investment is made and the gap with the rest of the developed world will widen, but also with less advanced economies that are ahead of Europe - and Italy - in crucial areas such as innovation and research. Nowadays no other sector is able to accelerate the growth and development of the country in a comparable way, at a time when we absolutely need it. Especially for future generations. Indeed, investments in new infrastructures for electronic communications guarantee positive externalities (spillover), which radiate throughout the entire economic and productive system, increasing labor productivity, employment and domestic product, reducing the costs of market transactions, and making it possible (enabling technologies) to introduce product and process innovations. The positive effect manifests itself both in terms of cost savings and in terms of productivity and international competition. At least 1 point of GDP for every 10% of broadband diffusion (source: World Bank) and about 30 billion a year, when fully operational for Italy, of savings thanks to teleworking, e-commerce, e-learning, and -government, e-health, mobile payment, e-paper, intelligent energy management (source: Confindustria). Beyond the precise data, the order of magnitude of the values counts. And considering the enormous amount, for example, of health expenditure in our country, this is a crucial indication. In Italy, on the other hand, there is still not enough investment in the information highways of the new communications which are the main fertilizer of that knowledge economy which stands as a new paradigm of participatory capitalist model. Awareness of the socio-economic potential is still marginal, which relegates new technologies to one of the many tools for economic development, while they can instead be the keystone of the digital revolution which can give a shove to a packed system, radically changing the paradigms of the economy and society. It may seem like a paradox, yet of all the investments that the Observatory reports in the exemplary summary table, the new generation fiber networks for ultra-broadband are the ones that most risk not being implemented in the appropriate time frame. Not only "if" but also "when" takes on a strategic value. Time is a determining factor that we cannot afford to waste; it takes four to eight years to build a fiber optic network. In the expansion phase, stagnation can lead to stagnation; in a recession it can lead to decline. But is such an expensive intervention feasible in times of crisis? First of all, the investment required is less substantial than many others, included in the same table, the realization of which, however, is never questioned. In any case, precisely in this period of crisis, most of the economies, more or less advanced, consider investments in information and communication technologies as a priority precisely because of the net benefits that can be activated. The by now current prospects of the Internet of things will mark a further leap in quality in the consumption of bytes. From a few devices per person (mobile phone, tablet) to a detector incorporated in every object - from labels to medical or environmental control sensors - which, thanks to cloud computing models, will be able to supply data to applications capable of giving signals and answers on the whole. All this implies not only exponentially growing volumes of traffic but also unprecedented needs for speed, quality and reliability and therefore postulates bandwidth availability on a scale that is difficult to compare with yesterday's needs. We cannot run into the paradox of having intelligent systems but not having a network that interconnects them and systematically spreads their usefulness. The theme of network development is therefore the essential framework in which to frame all the pieces of the puzzle and promote the sustainability of the digital ecosystem. The low literacy of the Italians is undoubtedly a hindrance for the creation of fiber networks (the latest surveys at Community level are still merciless). But we must not let ourselves be paralyzed by this fact, which is in any case evolving, and, above all, this must not represent an instrumental obstacle. A few years ago an interesting conference posed the dilemma of ultra broadband between the egg (today's pragmatism) and the chicken (technological fideism). Is it demand that must push the development of the networks or are investments in infrastructures stimulating demand? Supply tout court does not generate demand, but without an adequate supply any tendency towards growth in demand collapses. There is a relationship of fixed proportions between the two types of investment. Without the stock of physical infrastructural capital that creates the "flywheel" of the network, investment in software (services, human capital) will yield less and less, precisely because its diffusion will be slowed down. The real risk is that of realizing too late that the infrastructure is not sufficient to meet the demand. The risk is not that of spending too much on broadband, rather the opposite: that of investing too little, getting lost in the wearing friction between the market and institutions that should be set aside to pursue the common interest. As Government Authority of the communications sector during our tenure we have reduced information uncertainty with new incentive rules to allow investments in fiber networks to start, providing a reasonable return. It is essential that there are companies capable of grasping the new and planning for the future, just as an industrial policy capable of supporting investments by facilitating the activation of capital and mixed public-private partnership models is essential. Cassa Depositi e Prestiti can play a fundamental role within the framework of the existing regulations. To attract money in a time of still severe crisis, it is essential to select priorities and configure the appropriate incentives. Priority, therefore; with determination and responsibility.
*President of the Communications Regulatory Authority
