Stefano Passigli, vice-minister of technology innovation, says the government plans to wield the Internet to modernize the economy. But he and other officials fail to grasp the speed at which the Net economy is moving. That's vital to lowering prices and creating a favorable climate for Internet startups. We're starting late. What's more, conditions for entrepreneurs remain unfavorable and need a radical overhaul.
Problems range from sky-high taxes to red tape.
The good news is that Internet use, while lagging behind other countries, is on the rise. But it doesn't help to have Italians surfing the Net if the country's entrepreneurs flee to more dynamic shores like Silicon Valley. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.