Definitive agreement in the European Union to guarantee free Internet access points

The European Commission wants to promote free Wi-Fi connectivity for citizens and passers-by in public spaces such as parks, squares, official buildings, libraries, health centers and museums throughout Europe through WiFi4EU

The European Union will sponsor free wireless Internet access points in town halls, libraries, parks and other public spaces thanks to a new system called WiFi4EU within the framework of a project to which the Council of Europe has given the definitive green light. An easily recognizable multilingual WiFi4EU portal will provide access to a secure high-speed connection in at least 6,000 local communities in the EU by 2020. An informal agreement was reached with the European Parliament on this system in May this year.

Urve Palo, ministra de Iniciativa Empresarial y Tecnología de la Información de Estonia (Estado de turno que preside el Consejo de Europa), ha asegurado que “gracias al sistema WiFi4EU, muchos ciudadanos podrán acceder con más facilidad a una conexión a Internet de gran calidad, y los ayuntamientos, las bibliotecas y otros organismos públicos tendrán la oportunidad de promover sus servicios digitales. Es posible incluso que esta iniciativa impulse un ciclo virtuoso de inversión”.

Under this system, councils, hospitals and other public sector bodies will be able to request funding for the installation of new Wi-Fi access points where there is no similar public or private Internet connection, as this would be doubled with the new access points. The public body in question must also commit to maintaining the new connection for a minimum period of three years. The application procedure will be simple: the Commission will manage a dedicated online platform, and EU support will cover up to 100% of eligible costs.

The total amount of EU funding for this scheme could reach €120 million by 2019. Funds will be allocated ensuring geographical balance across all EU countries and, in principle, on a first-come, first-served basis. The Commission will be responsible for determining the exact selection criteria and managing the system.

The first call for projects is expected to be launched towards the end of the year or early 2018. The Commission provides more information on this project in its website.

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