Up to 125,000 families will be able to benefit from a voucher worth 240 euros in total, which will reduce the cost of their fibre optic bills at home. Up to 131 national and regional operators are participating in the different autonomous communities.
The Government has just published the list of Internet operators that will participate in the new UNICO Bono Social aid programme, aimed at making it easier for families in a situation of economic vulnerability to pay their ultra-fast broadband fibre optic bills. In total, there are 131 operators participating, including Movistar, Digi, Vodafone and MásMóvil.
This programme will be funded with 30 million euros that will be transferred to the autonomous communities, and it will be through these that citizens will be able to request aid. In total, it is planned to grant up to 125,000 vouchers at most, with a deadline for requesting them that ends on December 31, 2024.
Although each autonomous community may establish its requirements to receive the aid, it is established that all people who have been recognized as recipients of the Minimum Living Income (IMV) will automatically be classified as members of vulnerable groups. In other words, being a beneficiary of the IMV indicates that you already meet the requirements to be a candidate for this other aid.
At most, you can get 240 euros per year, which means a monthly discount of 20 euros on the fiber bill, excluding VAT, issued by the operator.
Movistar, Digi or Avatel, in several autonomous communities
Many of the participating operators are local or regional, and some are registered in the program only in a specific autonomous community, so those interested will have to check on the list who can apply for the bonus with their company. Telefónica is the one that participates in the most autonomous communities (in 13), followed by Digi and Avatel, which participate in 3 each. Andalusia is the community where the most operators are on the list (70), followed by the Region of Murcia, with 16.
Specifically, Movistar (Telefónica) participates in: Navarra, Cantabria, Extremadura, Madrid, the Balearic Islands, Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha, Galicia, the Canary Islands, the Valencian Community, La Rioja, the Principality of Asturias and the Region of Murcia. Digi does so in Galicia, La Rioja and Extremadura, and Avatel, in Castile-La Mancha, Valencia and Murcia.
Promoting connectivity
This aid is part of the UNICO programs, which seek to promote the universality of connectivity in Spain, and is part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Government of Spain, financed by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU Funds.
The Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure, María González Veracruz, has highlighted the importance of facilitating access to ultra-fast broadband “because access to the Internet is already a key issue for equal employment and social opportunities, and we promote this measure so that no one is left behind in this digital present and future due to being in a situation of economic vulnerability.”
He also highlighted Spain’s progress in terms of connectivity, as it is possible to connect to ultra-fast broadband via fibre or satellite throughout the country, and more than 92.5% of connected homes have speeds of up to 1 Gbps.
