Being connected with good bandwidth is the wish of many French people, but it is sometimes not without consequences.
More and more residents are complaining about the development of optical fiber, which is also accompanied by hazardous work.
In Meurthe-et-Moselle, the town of Toul has chosen to react to put an end to these connections which are not always well done.
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It is an ordinary installation which can become a nightmare for some local residents. This is the case of Olivier Thévenon, who does not lose his temper. A few weeks ago, a house, which he owns, was connected to optical fiber in a completely haphazard manner. It’s all the more annoying for this building contractor since he had other solutions to propose. “It would still be simpler to enter through the front and use the common areas, then go through chutes”he says in the video at the top of this article. “Laying the fiber will be the least expensive, not the prettiest”he adds.
And in the historic center of Toul (Meurthe-et-Moselle), there is no shortage of bad examples of connection. “It goes into the cellar a bit and is ‘discarded’, it’s a shame that the buildings are filled with wires, it loses its charm”explains a Touloise. “We do lots of things to make the buildings clean, and it’s true that afterwards, when you see this kind of thing…”adds another local resident.
We didn’t really have any legal tools, and what we put forward was the occupation of the public domain.
Alde Harmand, mayor of Toul (Meurthe-et-Moselle)
The mayor of Toul himself is exasperated to see houses, even recently renovated, disfigured by fiber optic connections. He therefore decided to require installers to register at the town hall before any connection. “I also realized that we did not really have any legal tools, and there, what we put forward was the occupation of the public domain, since the operators are obliged to intervene on public property by positioning their vans, baskets, etc. They must now, by deliberation and by decree, declare themselves to the town hall.explains Alde Harmand.
As posted everywhere in the city, without declaration, there can be a fine of up to 1500 euros. We tried to meet these fiber optic installers, but none wanted to be filmed.
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For consumer defense associations, this is not surprising, because subcontracting is very numerous in this activity. But ultimately, it is always the operators who are responsible. “We must not hesitate to take photos, file a complaint, leave traces. Because otherwise, indeed, the operator, as long as it works, he does not really ask himself the question of whether it was done correctly”, explains one of its members in the video at the top of this article. There has been a quality label since last year, respected by certain installers, but it is not obligatory.
