Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
1962. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the progress that has been made between her Department and Cork County Council on the roll-out of WIFI4EU in County Cork; if submissions have been received from the council; the number of access points that have been applied for in the county; the reason that Cork County Council has not availed of the programme to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20731/22]
View answer1963. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the closing date that the European Union has set out for the receipt of applications from local authorities for the roll-out of WIFI4EU projects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20732/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1962 and 1963 together.
WiFi4EU is an initiative of the European Commission which is co-funded by my Department. The initiative funds the deployment of free to use WiFi in public spaces, such as town squares, public parks, libraries and other areas where the public congregate. The WiFi service is reliable and secure and does not harvest data for commercial purposes.
Under the WiFi4EU scheme, local authorities applied through a competitive process to secure vouchers worth €15,000 each to install WiFi hotspots. Local authorities could apply for up to 4 vouchers each throughout the lifetime of the initiative, and they must install a minimum of 10 access points per voucher.
Since the scheme was launched in 2018, Irish local authorities have secured 114 vouchers out of a maximum of 124 vouchers available. This makes Ireland one of the most successful countries to take part in the scheme. 30 of the 31 local authorities in the state, including Cork County Council, secured vouchers under the scheme. The last call for applications was in June 2020, and the application process is thus closed.
My Department is providing co-funding of up to €15,000 for each voucher secured by local authorities, effectively doubling the value of the investment. This funding is based on the completion of the project and validation of the network by the European Commission.
Cork County Council was successful in securing 4 vouchers in December 2019, with a date of 12 August 2022 for submission of all relevant documents to the EU for validation and closure of the project. Once validation of the network is completed by the European Commission, Cork County Council will be in a position to apply for co funding from my department for any qualifying additional work undertaken. No such submission has yet been received.
In general terms, officials at my Department do not see the WiFi4EU deployment plans of a local authority until they have been submitted in support of an application for co-funding. As such, I would advise the Deputy to seek such plans from Cork County Council directly.
My Department recognises the opportunity that this funding scheme represents for communities across the state, not least rural and under-served communities. As such, I would strongly recommend that all local authorities that have yet to do so, complete their WiFi4EU works well ahead of the deadline. This will allow time for the Commission to validate the work and for co-funding to be drawn down from my Department.
