Regulation of Telecommunications, Broadcasting, and Public Utilities - Proposed

The regulation of communications in Italy is in the process of being completely restructured. This is a result of the planned privatization of the telecommunications company, Telecom Italia S.p.A., pressure from various social and political forces to open up television broadcasting to the market, and the increased use of cable and satellite technology, among other factors, such as pressure from the European Commission. At present, telecommunications is regulated by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, and television is regulated both by the latter and an Authority for Television Broadcasting and the Press. As we report in another entry in Business Monitor, the Italian government has enacted a law to establish regulatory authorities for energy, telecommunications and television broadcasting. In this context, the Italian Parliament is now considering a number of legislative proposals which would change both the substance of regulatory law and the institutions which will