While many municipalities are impatiently awaiting the arrival of optical fiber, that of Fanlac was equipped with it from 2022. The residents were delighted, especially since many households remained in the so-called white zone. But now, since the attachment to fiber, the disappointments have multiplied. Repeated falls of trees or branches on overhead wires damage the equipment, causing regular network outages.
On October 18, a large part of the village woke up without telephone, Internet and television. The repairs were supposed to be carried out within six days but, in the end, only a few households regained their connection. For others, the cut lasted two weeks, or even a month for some.
In the town of Fanlac alone, some 200 lines had been cut. December 14, repeat. Today, some households still have not found the Internet. And the town hall's communications network has just been restored, Thursday January 9.
“Bad calculation”
At the village level, only 10% of the fiber has been buried, the rest of the network is overhead. Laurent Beyney, a resident of the town, reports recurring cuts. “Certainly for the sake of economy, the decision-makers chose to pass the fiber overhead, because the cost is lower than burying it, knowing that the old cables equipped with copper made them more resistant than the new ones,” explains he.
-“It’s a bad calculation, the repairs end up costing more than if all the lines had been buried. The result: no means of communication for part of the village regularly cut off from the world, which causes numerous problems for elderly people who are unable to notify emergency services or for people working from home. »
“I called several people at all levels, elected officials, the director of Périgord Numérique, Jean-Philippe Sautonie. To this day, I am still waiting for a response,” concludes Laurent Beyney.
Contacted on Wednesday January 8, Mayor Anne Roger confirmed the facts and added that the problem comes from the passage of overhead lines crossing wooded areas.
