Promotion of Internet connectivity in local communities (WiFi4EU)

With big discrepancies in IT use in governments, how far can digital exchange bring us to digital union? A long way but not far enough argues Carlos Zorrinho.
How to e-modernise Europe's public administrations? © European Parliament

This proposal for a regulation was published by the European Commission in September 2016 and is part of the new Telecommunications package. It sets out a European vision of Internet connectivity for citizens and business in the Digital Single Market. As the internet and digital connectivity transform private lives and professional practices inside and beyond the Union, there is a need to ensure that the general public is encouraged to seize the opportunities that this transformation offers.

The proposal is part of the Commission's strategic aims for the Union to be achieved by 2025 for sites at which public services are provided, such as public administrations, libraries and hospitals to be equipped with Gigabit internet connections. Connecting these and other centres of community life, including outdoor spaces accessible to the general public, at speeds significantly above functional internet access, will enable citizens from all walks of life to experience the advantages of next generation connectivity while on the move, in places where being connected matters.

Rapporteur: C. Zorrinho
Shadows: Adina-Ioana Vălean (EPP), Anneleen Van Bossuyt (ECR), Pavel Telička (ALDE), Michel Reimon (Greens), Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE), David Borrelli (EFDD), Barbara Kappel (ENF)