A person without ears and without a mouth. A monster straight out of a Stephen King novel. This is the Italian citizen without connectivity. Access to information via the Internet must be free, recognized like your ID card. Services via Internet have to be accessible from Castel Volturno to Pizzo Calabro, from the outskirts of Rome to the villages of the Apennines. The Pisanu law that limits the development of Wi-Fi hotspots has to be abolished. The Internet must become like the air. From a park bench or from a bar. From a tunnel on the motorway to a train. Everywhere. The backbone of Internet access has to be separated out from those who provide the services. It has to be returned into public hands, not to Mediaset and it must provide a public service. The towns must consider Internet coverage at the same level as the provision of water. Essential. Vital. For work. For communicating. For community formation. To be informed. The Internet is transparency. Town Council meetings should be filmed by the town council, prepared by the town council and transmitted in live streaming on YouTube. Towns without Internet connection or with limited access speeds are out of the game. The true Digital Divide for work and for information is between the connected towns and the unconnected ones. Connectivity is work. It promotes local services and production. Connectivity is tourism. Connectivity is democracy. Five Star Towns are connected towns.
They will never give up (but is it in their interests?). Neither will we.

The national meeting of the Lists of the 5 star towns will be in Florence at the Saschall Theatre on Sunday 8 March 2009.
The Five Stars correspond to five specific areas: Water, Energy, Development, Environment and Transport. Today I’m publishing the article on CONNECTIVITY (DEVELOPMENT). Use the comments facility to send in your thoughts.

Sign up to the national meeting of the 5 star towns on 8 March.

CONNECTIVITY
1. Digital citizenship for every resident.
2. Encourage the introduction of Wimax stations for Mobile and widespread access to the Internet and at the same time, demand the widespread availability of ADSL.
3. Widespread availability of Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the territory of a town for maximum coverage, and especially in the areas where most people go.
4. Whenever possible, availability of local authority services via Internet.
5. Public town council meetings in live streaming via Internet.
6. Give incentives for the creation of teleworking areas.
7. By bringing together the different areas of production and of services, provide online promotion of what is on offer in the town.
8. Public access to the Internet in public places, like libraries.
9. Promote courses about computing and the Internet.
10. Equip local schools with Internet access points (PCs, printers etc.) for the scholars and the teachers.

PS. Participate in the 5 Star town forum about Connectivity.