“We want to make a rant. » Martine and Jacques Joinel have had enough. This retired couple from Coux-et-Bigaroque-Mouzens, in Dordogne, despair of one day having optical fiber to their home, in a place called Meynard. We could say that the place is remote, somewhere in the depths of the Périgord Noir. But that's not the case. As the crow flies, the house is located less than fifty meters from the road which connects the village of Coux to Campagne.
One example among others
A situation which has lasted, according to Jacques, “for more than a year. However, we were told that we would have fiber in 2024.” At the start of 2025, this is still not the case. Whose fault is it? To what? “We contacted Périgord digital several times [NDLR : le syndicat mixte en charge du déploiement de la fibre dans le département]. But nothing happened. They always tell us that they will take care of it. But when? »
The Department plans to fiberize the entire territory by 2030. “We will be there quickly,” emphasizes Jacques Joinel. He goes even further: “Everything is buried, all that remains is to pass the fiber. The operator tells us there is nothing he can do. Today, we do everything on the Internet: filing taxes, making medical appointments, etc. Without that, what do we do? »
On the side of the mixed union, we have an explanation which comes from the field of law. “To pass the fiber, it’s quite simple,” explains Périgord Numérique. We follow the copper. Except that in some places, this is not possible. »
Legal problem
In the 1970s, the operator Orange buried the cables in the ground. But what worked for ADSL no longer works for fiber. “For us, these cables are not reusable,” says the union. In Dordogne, 80% of connection failures are due to this problem. And it's the same thing at the national level. » So, who should do something and, above all, pay to remedy this situation?
In the case that concerns us, the situation is complex according to Périgord digital. “The cable in the ground is on private land, so it’s theirs [NDLR : les propriétaires] to carry out civil engineering work to resolve the situation, explains the union. The France Telecom entry point is 11 meters away. »
Furthermore, the company which was to carry out the work on the public part of the section has changed subcontractor. “The work was planned for the beginning of September,” explains Périgord digital. But, with this change of subcontractor, there was a change in the schedule. This could no longer be done before December. So, according to the provisional schedule, work should begin the first week of February. »
Work which will benefit the Joinel couple, but also the three other houses in the hamlet. “Finally,” users will say.
