  The heating of solar chromospheric inter-network regions by means of the
absorption of electromagnetic (EM) waves that originate from the photospheric
blackbody radiation is studied in the framework of a plasma slab model. The
absorption is provided by the electron-neutral collisions in which electrons
oscillate in the EM wave field and electron-neutral collisions damp the EM
wave. Given the uncertain nature of the collision cross-section due to the
plasma micro-turbulence, it is shown that for plausible physical parameters,
the heating flux produced by the absorption of EM waves in the chromosphere is
between $20 - 45$ % of the chromospheric radiative loss flux requirement. It is
also established that there is an optimal value for the collision
cross-section, $5 \times 10^{-18}$ m$^{2}$, that produces the maximal heating
flux of 1990 W m$^{-2}$.
