European Union legislators agreed yesterday (29 May) to set aside €120 million to provide free wireless internet connections by 2020 to up to 8,000 municipalities in the EU in areas with no internet coverage.
European Union legislators agreed yesterday (29 May) to set aside €120 million to provide free wireless internet connections by 2020 to up to 8,000 municipalities in the EU in areas with no internet coverage. The initiative will be funded from the current €1 trillion EU budget, which runs from 2014 to 2020. Towns will have to apply to get the funds “in principle on a first-come, first-served basis,” although some geographical balance between the EU’s 28 member states will be sought, said the Maltese EU Presidency, which brokered the agreement. The scheme will be open to any local entity with a public mission – typically local municipalities but also libraries or health centres – to fund the equipment and installation costs, the European Commission explained.
Great idea but I hope they get the security right as this will be a boon for identity theft etc.
