EU to Introduce Free Wi-Fi For All

The European Parliament has outlined plans to bring free Wi-Fi internet to the citizens of every member state by 2020. EU President Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled the plans in a press release published on the European Commission website. “Everyone benefiting from connectivity means that it should not matter where you live or how much you earn,” Juncker said.

“This is a promise we will deliver,” the EU pledge reads. “Not just for business travellers who go abroad for two days. Not only for the holiday maker who spends two weeks in the sun. But for our cross-border workers. I have therefore withdrawn a draft that a well-meaning official designed over the summer. The draft was not technically wrong. But it missed the point of what was promised. And you will see a new, better draft as of next week.”

The plan will see €120 million of EU money invested in bringing the necessary infrastructure to major cities across Europe, with the ultimate goal to introduce free 5G networks with 100Mbps speeds by 2025 everywhere, from urban areas to remote locales. However, some within the European Parliament appear sceptical that the EU can meet that target within the projected timeframe.

“The Commission will not magically deliver free WiFi in every town and city in the EU by 2020,” European Parliament member Marietje Schaake told the Daily Dot. “The Commission’s plans to set 120 million euro aside to pay for public Wi-Fi will of course be welcomed by city authorities, but the real question is how the E.U. will be able to roll out 5G in every European town in the future.”

The changes to the EU’s digital policy also include empowering content creators with new copyright protections and making internet aggregators – such as Google – more accountable for the content they share.