Corecom Toscana: the balance of a year of activity

Guarantee Institutes • June 27, 2024

From the tour in the Tuscan provinces to the digital driving license in schools, from the supervision of equal conditions to the resolution of disputes. The president of the Regional Council Antonio Mazzeo: “Important work carried out to raise awareness of the functions of the committee”. The president of Corecom Marco Meacci: “Launch initiatives resulting from unity of purpose”. The president of the Culture commission Cristina Giachi: “Media education projects aimed at younger people are fundamental”

Press release no. 0640

Of Angela Feo

Florence – From the Corecom Tour which made it possible to raise awareness of the functions of the Regional Committee in the Tuscan provinces, to the resolution of disputes, which made it possible to return over 800 thousand euros to citizens and businesses in Tuscany, from the digital school licence, which has become a best practice at a national level, to the supervision of equal conditions: the actions carried out in the world of telecommunications and in the local media system by the Tuscany Corecom are different and significant one year after the establishment of the new committee, of which he is president Marco Meacciwhich took place on 29 June 2023. The first assessment of the activity was illustrated this morning (Thursday 27 June) in the Sassoli Media Center of Palazzo del Pegaso where the president of the Regional Council spoke Antonio Mazzeo and the president of the Culture commission Cristina Giachi.

President Mazzeo thanked President Meacci and all the members of Corecom “for the important work carried out to protect Tuscan citizens” recalling both the ordinary activities linked to disputes and projects such as the digital driving license in schools. “Corecom is a flagship of our institutional activities – he stated –. Our goal is to ensure that every single citizen, from those who live in the largest municipality to those who live in the smallest village, can have access to the same rights. And Corecom’s work is going in this direction, as demonstrated by the choice to go to all the territories of our region to make its activities known, an unusual commitment that gives the sense of deep roots and the desire to listen and deal with everyone.”

“The new committee worked in a choral manner and with unity of purpose” began the president Meacci underlining a positive relationship both with the Culture commission and with the Regional Council “which approved the latest Corecom acts always unanimously”.

“The first challenge was to make Corecom known throughout Tuscany – Meacci then explained -. For this purpose we inaugurated, in October 2023, the Corecom Toura trip to the 10 Tuscan provinces in collaboration with the UPI which allowed us to come into contact with many realities, not only information operators, but also institutions, schools, associations, businesses”.

Meacci then highlighted the commitment in the last two months to the supervision and control activity on level playing field in the electoral campaign for the European and administrative elections of 8 and 9 June in which 17 television stations, 9 radio stations and 78 political entities were involved in the broadcast of free self-managed messages. “As regards institutional communication, there have been spontaneous adjustments on the part of the Administrations, therefore a collaborative relationship,” she stated.

The activity of telephone dispute resolution: over the last year, 4,475 conciliation requests were presented and 4,478 were closed. The agreements reached were over 83 percent. As regards the requests for settlement, those presented over the last year were 518 while those closed were 742. Furthermore, the numbers speak of over 90 percent of reactivations of the interrupted line and approximately 820 thousand euros returned to citizens and businesses. “On conciliations we will host a national conference organized together with Ag-com in the autumn and we will return to the territories with a sort of Conciliaweb tour”, said Meacci.

On the digital education front, the project has been strengthened Digital license in Tuscan middle schools which trained almost a thousand students in 25 classes on the skills necessary to use the internet and social media. The project was chosen by Agcom as best practices at a national level. Furthermore, as part of a study for the European Group of Communications Regulatory Authorities (ERGA), the Authority proposed the license as a “case study visit” for Italy. The first Patentino Day was held in Florence on 4 December 2023.

Furthermore, the numerous awards for good communication were mentioned: “Tuscany In Spot”, “Tuscany that does well” with Cesvot dedicated to the best social communication, the award for Best degree thesis in communication in Tuscany and the “Tuscan Communicator of the Year” (in 2023, six Tuscan journalists sent to conflict zones were awarded, bearing witness to reality in dangerous and complicated contexts, such as Ukraine and the Middle East).

“We are very satisfied with the work done by Corecom this year – stated the president of the Culture Commission of the Regional Council, Cristina Giachi – which interpreted the needs that emerged during the Commission’s reflection on the importance of making Tuscan citizens better understand what their rights are in the field of communication and information”. Giachi underlined how “the strenuous work of media education for the younger ones thanks to the collaboration with the Istituto degli Innocenti and the one on the management of disputes in the telecommunications field”. “The award for Tuscan communicators is also important because it allows us to give younger citizens role models. Learning to communicate and doing so responsibly is fundamental and teaching how to do so is a task that institutions must feel is their own. Corecom has demonstrated that it does so with great care, attention and a sense of its role.”

As for the next projects: in December 2024 the second edition of the “Patentino Day” and in 2025 the presentation of the survey entrusted to Irpet on information operators in Tuscany and the great event of the General States of Information in Tuscany.

All the members of the Corecom of Tuscany were present at the press conference, Benedetta Baldi, Carlotta Agostini, Biagio Depresbiteris, Bianca Maria Giocolithe vice-president of the Culture commission Luciana Bartolini and the advisor Vincenzo Ceccarelli.