Guarantees for users

The communications’ system cannot evolve at the expense of consumers who ought to be the first to benefit from competition.

Agcom ensures the protection of the rights of users.

In the sector of telecommunications, for instance, increased offer must not mean poorer quality in services: the Authority has the task to check whether products are correctly distributed, and to keep a watch over transparency in adverts.

Agcom can also settle disputes between consumers and operators.

First of all, however, Agcom has to guarantee that essential facilities are available to everybody.

As regards to universal service, the Authority has to evaluate the amount of the annual contribution to the special fund established by law, deciding which operators – mobile and fixed – must take part in it. To protect the weakest categories of population, Agcom established a 50% reduction on the subscriber's fee.
The admission to this benefit is disciplined by a decree of the Office of the President of the Council of Ministers and by a regulation of Inps (the National Institute for Social Security).

The main task of Agcom in the broadcasting area is the safeguard of pluralistic information: in cooperation with external experts and data survey companies, the Authority has set up an important plan for around the clock monitoring of national TV programmes in order to assess the extent to which networks comply with national legislation or regulatory provisions regarding: advertising, political and social pluralism, protection of minors, obligations for programming.

As prescribed by Law n.° 249, Agcom issued implementation provisions regarding publicity and political information, fair treatment and equal access in publications and in programmes of political propaganda ("par condicio").

Agcom’s regulation of advertising aims at balancing business and consumer interests, also through the interpretation of existing rules, often not applied or arbitrarily applied by broadcasters.

Violations of norms are punished by the Authority through economic sanctions.

Regulation of "par condicio" is referred both to private and public networks and provides for intervention by Agcom not only during the election period.