the puzzle of aerial fiber optic cables

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THE problems of deployment of optical fiber in the countryside and more broadly overhead cables hangingsometimes since storm Ciaran of November 2, 2023were among the many topics debated the December 6, 2024 during the last session of the Chamber of Agriculture of the Manche de la 2019-2025 term.

Companies no longer want to intervene in the maintenance of hedges for fear of cutting cables.

The farms obviously have need to be connected also with fiber optics. Except that they are sometimes found in isolated places.

“It’s easier to make farmers pay!” »

The connection is “ free for individuals more paid for businesses » what are the farmswhich are also often farmers' homes. The Chamber of Agriculture thus points out discrimination in digital access .

Pascal Férey, who was chairing a session for the last time in his career, had invited Antoine Delaunay, departmental councilor of Avranches and president of Manche Numérique, to discuss this principle of access and other related issues.

It's easier to make farmers pay!

“The buried, there are no worries but the aerial worries,” raises Pascal Férey. “Companies (agricultural works editor’s note most of the time) no longer want to intervene on hedge maintenance for fear of cutting cables,” testifies the agricultural manager.

The maintenance of hedges, when they are bordered by lines, becomes an additional hassle for farmers: “I hear more and more farmers telling us that if they continue to bother us, we will use our pruning machine flat. There will be nothing left,” warns Pascal Férey who launches an attack on communitieswho do not bother to plant hedges so as not to suffer the costs maintenance .

« Sentiment d’injustice »

Because yes, maintaining hedges is expensive. The representative of Manche farmers points out a “ sentiment d’injusticeat the national level” while “farmers are being twisted to put hedges everywhere. »

” There is 1 million km of roads that’s 2 million theoretical kilometers of hedges. Barely 40% have hedges. We are told it is too expensive. It's easier to make farmers pay! », says Pascal Férey.

Height, cost of maintenance, landfill, etc.

Another problem: “Most of the time, the wires are not at the correct height. To enter the plots, it’s a disaster,” laments Jean-François Tapin, another elected farmer, in Feugères.

“Is there quality controlonce the work done? I can show lots of places where the cables are under the lines, poorly deployed,” denounces Pascal Férey who also points out the “poor quality of the poles. There are a bunch of dilapidated . You have to see the number of posts that collapsed with storm Ciaran. »

A trailer took on cables and poles a few weeks ago, we brought Condé-sur-Vire to its knees for a few hours. We need to settle the matter.

“Ciaran has shown that the network is solid,” tries to defend Antoine Delaunay. But several places in the Channel have remained in limbo, for months and sometimes even since storm Ciaran. We still see here and there cables holding the poles and not the other way around.

Also informing that Manche Numérique sometimes has to rent (“expensive”) poles from Enedis, Antoine Delaunay recalls that the entire network will be deployed before the end of 2025 .

“A subject of sovereignty”

“If it took a little longer and it’s a little more expensive, that network is ours. I prefer that,” he also argues. He also recalls:

We are the only department where pooling and equalization has been decided so that everyone pays the same thing.

“We will use landfilling where we can,” he also reassures, but specifies that this has a much higher cost: up to €60,000per kilometer compared to €18,000 by air.

“At one time, the PTT were content to put a copper wirein open ground. But today, we no longer have the right to do that,” explains Antoine Delaunay, who says he is encouraging the Manche company Acome “to develop a fiber for open ground. »

“Is investing in fiber wise given the deployment of satellites byElon Musk? », also questions one of the elected farmers, Jean-François Bouillon. Certainly, it works “but it’sa subject of sovereignty», retorts Antoine Delaunay.

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