Appello - InfoCivica

1 . In Italy , as in the other European countries, the public radio and television service, which for decades has successfully accompanied the birth and development of the instruments of communication, mass media and society, has, for many years now, been going through a phase of difficulty and uncertainty about its role and its future.

The financial crisis and crisis of identity triggered by the advent of commercial television and by the growing diffusion of new media, Internet and mobile telephony, also testifies to the profound transformation of the society in which we live.

So why should one ask for the revival of the public service in a mixed communication system which is now fully mature, and what forms should this revival take?

First of all in order to have guided navigation instruments providing an educational stimulus and encouragement in the universe of communications.

This is a demand of the new multi-ethnic society, where new identities and the sense of belonging are under construction, and it is a demand deriving from the new and old social crises, the need for security and the sense of uncertainty for the future.

We need an instrument to guide us, which can also be a place for everyone and where it is not possible for anyone to cheat. It must be a compass and an instrument of navigation that is no longer limited to the traditional media of radio and television, but that operates in all fields, also in the new interactive media.

2 . Infocivica agrees with the idea that the mixed public/private system, which is now established everywhere, should provide guaranties for a good balance between free enterprise, pluralism and public communication. It must continue to satisfy a demand that continues to be fragmented, with a highly differentiated and flexible offer.

However, so that this potentially virtuous equilibrium can maintain its promise, it is essential for the public service t o regain full awareness of itself, while redefining its role and planning for its future.

The public service has a mission, which is to be the mirror in which national communities and the process of European integration can see and interpret themselves, so that it can become the principal place of cultural exchange and education for creating new regional, national, and European citizens.

3 . In order to achieve the re-launching and revitalization of the public service in the old and new media, whether they be linear, interactive or participatory, it must fulfil three prerequisites:

A greater degree of detachment and a clear independence of the public service from the short and very short-term needs and worries of political parties and any other pressure groups. This is to be achieved by creating an instrument of constitutional guarantees in order to safeguard and protect the autonomy of the concessionary companies of the public service.
The substitution of licence fees by funding based on the economic and fiscal means of citizens , so that they cease to be random and can supply the majority of income compared to revenues deriv ing from other commercial activities (such as advertising and sponsorship) .
An industrial policy that can facilitate ongoing technological renewal and ensure a public presence in the networks, thereby defending the access of all citizens.

4 . Only after these reforms have been carried out will it become possible to dedicate, in total freedom, particular attention to the contents made accessible in the new environment of digital cross-media interactive communication. The public service in all its distinctive features must be applied to the entire offer, all genres and all targets, in the field of traditional linear television and radio channels as well as the new modalities of bidirectional and radial communication.

5 . The path of renewal we have schematically described has as its natural background, to which it should constantly and rigorously be referred, the situation in the European countries and the politics of the European Union. This is for three main reasons:

Because we have a strategic interest in maintaining contacts and promoting further integration with the European context and situation.
Because the technological development of our countries requires an appropriate shared European regulatory and legislative development and the convergence of investment s in the development of new technology and infrastructures .
Because the public service in particular requires an update of the Protocol annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam and the resumption of reflection and discussions on those media initiatives that are directly managed by the institutions of the European C ommunity.

6 . For all of these reasons Infocivica is promoting a European_Conference_on public_service_media_in_the_society_of_information_and_knowledg, planned for autumn 2012 in Turin. The Conference will provide an opportunity to present a Green Paper on the subject, concluding two-years of work and research involving four seminar-meetings organised and managed by the so-called Turin Workgroup.

Rome, April 27, 2010

Gerardo Mombelli ( President ), Antonella Anselmo, Gianni Bellisario, Daniela Benelli, Manlio Cammarata, Ugo Cavaterra, Nicola Cona, Tiziano Cristani, Lino De Seriis , Loreta Di Fazio, Chiara Ferrigno , Simonetta Fontana, Luciano Gambardella , Maria Gabriella Garsia, Giuliano Lemme, Elio Matarazzo, Giacomo Mazzone , Andrea Melodia , Carlo Monti, Bino Olivi (Honorary President), Massimo Pasquini , Armando Pristerà , Claudio Roberti (treasurer), Carlo Rognoni, Carlo Troilo, Bruno Somalvico (Secretary), Laura Testa and Ivana Trevisani.