The Avicca association, which brings together communities involved in digital technology, has decided to act to put an end to failed or hasty fiber optic connections. Via the voice of its president Patrick Chaize, also a senator from Ain, the organization is asking for the opening of a parliamentary inquiry.
In May 2021, Arcep had already sounded the alarm in the face of the worrying number of failed fiber optic connections. According to the institution’s report, 20-30% of installations failnot least because of quality defects absolutely “unacceptable”.
Two months later, a mayor of a small town in Seine-et-Marne had declared war on the operators, exasperated by the chaos surrounding fiber optic connections in his village. The NRO, the town’s optical connection node, looked like a battlefield. Accessible by any technician or subcontractor working on behalf of an operator, it was not uncommon to see wild disconnections (one customer is disconnected in favor of another).
Of course, this municipality is not the only one to be confronted with this kind of problem. L’Aviccathe association of towns and communities for electronic communities and the audiovisual sector, shares inspiring testimonials from users every day, such as this inhabitant of Melun who had the right to a simply scandalous installation. It’s simple, the fiber optic line runs in the garden, blocked by a breeze block, while the box has been quickly taped to a trailer in the courtyard of the house.
The Avicca association wants to put an end to wild connections
However, Avicca has decided to act to stop seeing this type of installation carried out without any respect for procedures and quality standards. During a press conference, the president of the association Patrick Chaize, also a senator from Ain, unveiled an unprecedented battle plan.
“With the State, the regulator ARCEP and the communities, we make the sad observation that the national situation of public fiber optic networks is not improving, despite our alerts and our repeated requests. Worse still, it has deteriorated in certain territories which regularly call for help from the Avicca. It is intolerable to see that investments made with public money deteriorate over time. This is why I decided, at name of Avicca and the local authorities represented, to go on the offensive in order to make the operators face up to their responsibilities”, says the senator.
The first step is therefore in a bill, which will be tabled in the coming days in the National Assembly. The goal : compel operators and their subcontractors to make quality connections and to maintain the necessary equipment so that subscribers do not experience any more breakdowns or untimely connections. Sanctions may be imposed in the event of a proven breach. :
- Operators or subcontractors may not be paid by public funds in the event of defects, poor workmanship or damage observed. They will also have to must provide intervention schedules for monitoring community connections
- Financial commitment over the duration of the responsibility of the operators: they will have to reimburse public expenditure that local authorities have committed to remedy the shortcomings
- Financial sanctions against operators who use sub-contractors who employ under-qualified staffpoorly paid, undeclared or who do not comply with safety rules and quality standards
Also read: Optical fiber – the number of disputes soars, subscribers enrage
After the law, Avicca wants the opening of a parliamentary inquiry
Subsequently, the Avicca also asks the opening of a parliamentary inquiry into the subject. The aim is to shed light on several points, namely:
- on the procedures implemented by the operators
- on financial circuits with “a focus on the use of public money for the construction of fiber connections which undermine a network itself built largely with public funds”
- on the financing of the rehabilitation of this public fiber network heritage
If France therefore remains the European champion in the deployment of optical fiber with 60% of eligible households, this performance hides a completely different reality on the ground, as you will have understood. According to Avica, 75% of connections to certain networks do not comply with standards, while more than 80% of the connection points are more or less seriously damaged. Due to these shortcomings, a recent study proved that 700,000 homes will still not be connected to fiber optics by 2025.