It is sacred union. Telecom operators united within the French Federation of Telecoms (FFTélécoms), communities involved in digital technology (Avicca) and professions in the digital infrastructure sector (InfraNum) have issued an open letter to Bruno Le Maire , Minister of the Economy, Finance but also of Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.
The object of their ire? Bercy’s plan on the financing of the France Très Haut Débit (FTHD) plan. To limit the public deficit, the decree of February 21 canceling 10 billion euros of credits in the state budget for 2024 does not spare program 343 dedicated to the deployment of optical fiber. With the stroke of a pen, he canceled 38 million euros in commitment authorizations, a drop of 39%. Payment credits have been cut by 117 million euros.
Lack of consultation
The three signatories first deplore the method and the lack of prior consultation “ regarding a decision calling into question the appropriations voted in the finance law less than two months ago, ». This unanticipated budget cut would put “ in difficulty the capacity to carry out an extraordinary infrastructure project over the long term. »
With 37 million connectable homes and businesses, or 84% of the total, France is the most fiber-connected country in Europe, far ahead of Germany, whose fiber optic coverage is less than 40%. This success is due, the signatories recall, to an ecosystem, bringing together the State, local authorities, operators and an entire industrial sector.
The French model is also based on “ a public-private partnership which combines massive investments by operators on their own funds, and public investments, those of the State through the 343 program, as leverage for the no less massive investments of local authorities. »
The cut in state aid would shake this fragile structure and undermine the objective, set by the President of the Republic, of a generalization of optical fiber throughout the territory by the end of 2025. D ‘especially as the deployments remaining to be carried out are the most difficult since they involve complex connections requiring civil engineering work, including on private land. “ Hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens” could thus be excluded from the fiber.
A freeze on investments in rural areas?
While economic models are already fragile, the cancellation of credits creates unpredictability that can “ lead to the freezing of investments “. Public initiative networks (RIP) in rural areas, for which the State co-finances, could be particularly weakened.
In an independent press release, the InfraNum federation notes that this uncertainty “places the local authorities that are project owners, their delegated public service operators and all the companies working on the construction sites faced with an insoluble equation: Which project will benefit from the promised funds? Which company will be paid? What treasury will this decision impact? »
Not only do communities risk being faced with delays in fiber deployment, a prerequisite for the digital development of their territory, but they are also suffering the effects of the drastic cut in the green fund with 400 million euros eliminated. However, this fund supports the development of connected and sustainable territorial projects. The digital infrastructure professions sector could also be affected as it plans to create 33,000 jobs by 2030.
The opportunity for a major overhaul
Avicca, FFTélécoms and InfraNum are taking the opportunity to call for a major overhaul of public policy on digital technology. They are calling for measures to simplify deployments, “psometimes slowed down or even blocked by state services” or better consideration of the environmental impacts of digital technology.
The three groups also discuss the revision of the specific taxation of the sector, starting with the Tax on electronic communications operators (TOCE) which could be assigned to program 343. While only operators are currently subject to this tax, they would see widen it to “ major platforms and digital service publishers”, “main beneficiaries of investments by operators and communities in networks”. A sort of French “fair share”. Spain has made this choice for five years already, they specify.