A bit of a problem....and a rather clever solution

As you are reading my blog, I know that, like me, you must be an avid user of the world wide web. There can't be many people nowadays who don't rely on this service. As for me , I think it is brilliant. Not only can I carry out so many things on line, like paying bills, communicating with friends, and streaming films, it is also an absolute boon when writing. Gone are the days when one had to trudge to the library to seek out information. Should I wish to back up my writing with facts, I have instant reference. Hurrah for Wikipedia, I say. They deserve our support. While writing my novel 'Because You Were There,' I became absorbed in travelling through the Jamaican countryside with the aid of you tube videos, which an enthusiastic taxi driver had uploaded to the web. It felt as if I was actually present with Tina in the tropical highlands of Jamaica, as I wrote. I am now completing a novel in which one of the main characters suffers from bi-polar disease. I was able to do lots of internet research to ensure that I had got my facts straight. Moreover, it was really helpful to be able to empathise with sufferers, by reading their personal accounts.

But for some, chiefly the elderly, the internet remains somewhat of a mystery. Moreover, in some places access is poor or even non-existent. How do they cope in this rapidly changing world? As more and more banks close local branches, and other service providers cut customer support staff, some people have been left high and dry. Bravo to France then, who instigated a National Broadband plan over a decade ago(France Très Haut Débit.) They planned to achieve 100% internet coverage with speeds of at least 30 Mbps by the end of 2022, and make fibre available to every household by 2025, giving us even better speeds. Billions of euros have been dedicated to this project , which also includes money for training people in internet skills. This work is carried out by a mixture of private and public enterprises Looking at the map(below) we can see fibre installation to date. The darker blue areas show that at least 80% fibre coverage has already been achieved across much of France. Only a few of the more remote rural areas still lack decent provision. Focussing on St Etienne, I see that fibre has not only been introduced throughout our village , but that our own property should be able to link up too. But actually, we can't!

So what's the problem?

'arcep' map of fibre internet coverage in France

Herein lies a tale... Earlier this year some construction vehicles arrived in our forest and started digging a narrow channel that led down from the main road, over the stream, past the maison forestiere, and up into the forest. We soon learned that they were preparing trenches in order to lay internet fibre cables, and became excited. But half way up the hill , all digging stopped. We needed them to continue right to our gate before we could ask our internet provider(Free) to complete the raccordement (or connection.)

The digging had stopped alongside a pole which carries electric cables to our property. If you look at the base you will see that this has been worn away by sanglier, who come along to wallow in the mud hole nearby, then use the pole for a good old scratch. The workmen decided to shore it up with a bit of concrete.

Was this really the end of the line? Here our tale might have ended, had we not known that when fibre has been introduced throughout France, standard copper cable will be removed. At that point we will be well and truly scuppered.On two different occasions technical staff from Free came along at our request to finish the installation. It was clear that the plan had been to take an Aerian route from this point on, following the line of the electricity poles. The technicians hummed and haa-ed ,and surveyed the area of dense forest through which new poles should be erected so that they could run the cables to our gate. They possessed neither the right equipment, nor expertise, so eventually they left. What were we to do?

A solution arrived in the form of our neighbours from the maison forestière. Marie Eve is the new chef of our forest, and we met as they were passing our gate. "The mairie has asked us to clear a part of the forest," she told us, "so that poles can be installed to run your internet fibre cables. We are very happy to do so..." our hopes soared..."but it will be very expensive," she continued "and you will have to meet the costs." Our faces fell. We stayed chatting for a while, before Marie Eve spotted the electricity pole by our gate that receives our mains electricity supply, and turned around to survey the route the cables take. It was then that she had a brainwave. The cables run through a dense tangle of leaves and branches. "It's a fire hazard ," she told us. "They are legally obliged to clear it, and we can request them to do so. ." And so we have our solution. When they have cleared the way, it should be a relatively simple matter to run the fibre to our gate. Before long, we too should be on the fibre network. To be continued....!