Councillor's attempts to get free WiFi in Kildare towns as compensation from Electric Ireland rebuffed
A local councillor in Kildare has been told that cables that were recently installed in Newbridge were done so by the ESB rather than Electric Ireland, after he asked that Kildare County Council request that Electric Ireland install free public WiFi in towns throughout the Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District.
Cllr Morgan McCabe brought a motion to the latest meeting of the council, requesting that Electric Ireland supply free WiFi 'as a compensation for the unsightly cables they are imposing upon our streetscapes with a log on page that incorporates the ‘Into Kildare’ message'.
The council rebuffed his claims, saying that the cables in Newbridge were installed by the ESB and that the council had already supplied free broadband to a number of towns throughout Kildare.
"The provision of high speed broadband in towns in Kildare is currently being carried out on a commercial basis by SIRO, an ESB/Vodafone consortium," read the report.
"The Roads Department has met with SIRO to discuss the use of overhead cables for broadband in towns in the county and it has been clarified that a number of the cables recently installed in Newbridge was related to ESB works and not fibre optic cable related to the provision of broadband.
"Free public WiFi is already provided by the Council in the following towns:
- Athy Heritage Centre
- Naas Town Hall
- Leixlip Library
- Newbridge Library
- Maynooth Library
- Ballitore Library
"WiFi4EU, an EU initiative with associated funding which will support installing free public Wi-Fi hotspots in local communities across the EU will shortly be announced.
"The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment is currently clarifying the likely timelines on funding and local authorities will be kept informed of any updates. This will provide a further opportunity for free WiFi in County Kildare."