## 5 Recommendations Related to Access and Connectivity
### The Role of Governments in Connectivity  
State aid measures for broadband have flourished in the European Union, but knowledge of the effectiveness and efficiency of this policy is extremely scarce. In fact, the digital broadband gap between the Member States of the Union and the less developed rural areas has not been eliminated ([PERSON], 2019). [PERSON] (2019) highlights a positive balance between the pros and cons of public intervention, as when looking at the performance of auction prices and the cost accounting of public works it seems that state intervention was carried out in a non-distorting and market-friendly manner. Besides, in acquisitions, despite being focused on technical quality, there was also a particular focus on greater efficiency, which broadly confirms the adequacy of the European Union's procurement law. [PERSON] (2019) also points out important criticisms, such as the fact that the evolution of technology (5G, Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, etc.) requires faster deployment throughout the territory of the latest generation networks, as a technological prerequisite for the launch of services.  
Governments have also been criticized for inefficient implementations, lack of customer focus and poor consideration of risk factors and potential obstacles ([PERSON] _et al._, 2019). It has already been designated, as [PERSON] et al. emphasized (2019), that policies aimed at improving technological access in rural areas have been underprized due to their generic nature and lack of anticipation of future technological developments, so that at the time of their implementation they were already outdated. Therefore, they consider that specific policies are needed relying on the local knowledge of the numerous rural actors and meeting their specific demands and needs. These authors suggest adopting a community approach that falls between the national and individual levels since closing the digital divide in the European Union requires a combination of regional and national political measures [56].  
The relationship between regional governments and citizens' initiatives in this area is also problematic, resulting in inadequate policies. The findings of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [57] reveal that even when governments develop supportive policies for citizens' initiatives, people can feel government efforts as limiting factors: if a government calls for citizen participation, what is expected from this call must be made clear in advance to reduce misinterpretations by both parties.  
The role of public intervention is essential to ensure the survival of local communities, and when investment occurs is a key success factor. Investments should be timely, and connections should work quickly; if this does not happen, infrastructure may be at risk of becoming rapidly obsolete and not contributing to the economic viability of rural communities [58]. The least attractive areas for the implementation of 5G and broadband technology should get more support from governments' digital strategy programs [23]. A population density-based classification criterion is suggested to be applied in analyses of ultra-fast broadband deployment in rural areas. This would allow for more information and understanding not only of the effects of rurality, but also of population scarcity, since it is precisely the most depopulated areas that present the most logistical and economic problems when implementing this type of technology. It is necessary to focus on the most disadvantaged areas, as this can lead to new inequalities between rural zones with coverage and those without [49].