ROME (WiMAX Day). Following the announcement last month that the communications ministry in Italy will make 3.5 GHz spectrum available for WiMAX, several citizen groups have demanded that the Ministry ensure that licenses for WiMAX frequencies are not assigned only to the Italian telecom monopolies. According to the Anti Digital Divide (ADD), which was formed in 2004 to protest the lack of broadband penetration outside of Italian cities, WiMAX presents an opportunity for all Italians to benefit from broadband Internet. In an on-line Google forum, the group has stated that small companies and towns should be able to compete for licenses to ensure that the licenses are used, and that consumers are charged reasonable prices. The organisation fears that the WiMAX auction will result in one or two licenses, as did the 3G auction several years ago when 14 billion euros was paid for licenses, and consequently poor services were delivered at exorbitant rates.