Internet bonus, the 500 euro voucher for broadband connection for less well-off families starts on Monday. The subsidy – expected for years – will make it possible to purchase a subscription and a PC or a tablet for households with an Isee below 20 thousand euros (for a family of 4 with two minor children and a house owned, the limit is equivalent to an income gross total indicatively below the threshold of 55 thousand euros per year). The contribution – in all 204 million euros has been allocated – will be recognized as a discount on the network connection fee for a period of at least twelve months and may also be used to buy tablets and PCs. The credit will not be provided directly to families and to get the bonus it will be necessary to go through the offer of a telephone operator. The chosen connection service must have a speed of at least 30 mbit / s.
IT BONUS
To obtain the bonus, it is necessary to contact one of the registered operators and submit a request accompanied by a copy of an identity document and a substitute declaration certifying the ISEE of less than 20,000 euros. Sample checks are also envisaged to verify the “existence of the requisites necessary to benefit from the contribution, as well as the truthfulness and correctness of commercial offers”. For now, the voucher is limited to families with Isee below 20 thousand euros, but a second phase is envisaged in which credit will also be granted to households with an indicator above this threshold and to businesses.
ROME EXCLUDED
The voucher plan will last until the funds run out – 204 million have been allocated – and will be active throughout Italy even if in Lazio, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli, Liguria and Tuscany it can only be requested in some municipalities (here the complete list). Rome is excluded. Other big cities like Bologna, Genoa, Florence and Pisa are also cut off, while the voucher will be available in Milan and Turin. The Lazio region, given that the funds were limited, preferred to give priority to mountain municipalities where the internet connection is less widespread. “An estimate indicates that the beneficiary families could be just under 20,000. In this context of scarcity of available resources, the need has matured to address them to a more restricted audience of beneficiaries “, explained the body, which therefore chose” to make the measure applicable only to users located in some municipalities and in the Specifically, for Lazio, totally mountain municipalities have been indicated, according to the Istat classification. This choice – continued the Region – on the one hand, directs resources to territories in which, due to a lower level of infrastructure, it is objectively more difficult to activate a broadband connection service, on the other, precisely by concentrating a potential new demand in those territories, has an effect that encourages the market of operators to improve coverage, generating an indirect advantage also for families and businesses that cannot directly benefit from the voucher ».
THE PROTESTS
Not everyone welcomed the voucher plan with enthusiasm. Aires, the Italian appliance retailer association, which represents the large electronics chains, protests and accuses the government of “giving the exclusivity” to telephone companies. In fact, the law provides that only operators will be able to manage vouchers, also as regards the supply of PCs and tablets, while the retailers of devices remain excluded. “More than state aid – attacks Aires – we can therefore speak of state gifts in favor of a specific category of companies”. For this the association has turned to the TAR and the hearing on the appeal to block the plan as it has been conceived so far has been set for next November 20.
Consumer associations have also expressed criticism on how the voucher is issued. “We must note with regret the presence of the mandatory bundle between connectivity and equipment which risks significantly reducing the free choice of users and the offer on the market – wrote Altroconsumo in a letter sent to the Undersecretary for economic development Gian Paolo Manzella -. Moreover, it is a choice that is not reflected in the Mise decree where the only connecting element is the fact of not being able to access the contribution for the pc / tablet in the absence of the signing of the connectivity contract: nowhere it is expected that telecommunications operators will have to supply the equipment, depriving consumers of a fundamental freedom of choice ».
THE OFFERS OF TELEPHONE COMPANIES
Windtre From Monday 9 November it will be possible to subscribe to the ‘Super Fiber’ offer by taking advantage of the bonus. In particular, it will be possible to choose between two models: Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 lite or Lenovo Tab M10 Fhd Plus (2nd Gen) with 10,000 mAh powerbank. In the first case, the bonus is divided into a contribution of 300 euros for the purchase of the tablet, which will therefore cost 159.90 euros instead of 459.90, and a contribution of 200 euros for the activation of the connectivity service, divided into 12 months. The customer will therefore pay 12.31 euros per month for the first year, instead of 28.98, with modem and activation included. In the second case, it will be possible to have a contribution of 240 euros on the price of the device, which will therefore be included in the offer, and of 260 euros on the service, spread over 12 months. The customer will therefore pay 7.31 euros per month for the first year, instead of 28.98, with modem and activation included.
Vodafone The offer will be available in the second half of November. Customers can take advantage of a contribution of 240 euros for the activation of the fiber connection which will be paid through a discount of 10 euros per month for 24 months directly on the invoice. The customer will then be able to activate the Vodafone fiber at a price of 19.90 euros / month (instead of 29.90 euros / month), and a contribution of 260 euros for the simultaneous purchase of a tablet.
Tim. Starting from Monday 9 November, Tim customers with the requirements to have the voucher will be able to subscribe to the Tim Super Voucher offer which includes connection up to 1 Giga, Hub + modem with Wi-Fi6, unlimited calls to all fixed and mobile numbers to which match the choice of a tablet or pc. The voucher can be used in two ways: a contribution of 200 euros for the activation of the Internet connection which will be paid directly in the Tim invoice with a bonus of 10 euros for 20 months. The customer can then activate the Tim Fiber at a price of 19.90 euros / month (instead of 29.90 euros / month); or a contribution of 300 euros for the simultaneous purchase of a tablet or PC. In this first phase, Tim offers two exclusive products: the Samsung S6 lite WiFi tablet (at € 29.90 instead of € 329.90) and the Onda Oliver Plus 15.6 “pc (at € 99.90 instead of € 399.90) Tim Super Voucher is aimed at new customers and those who have not yet activated an Internet connection with a speed greater than 30Mbps and can be activated from all the tim.it, 187 and Tim shops commercial channels.
Who thelist of all operators accredited who can be contacted to obtain the voucher.
Last updated: 23:20
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