Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that state aid to individuals for high-speed Internet access will increase from 150 to 300 euros, or even 600 euros. This aid is mainly aimed at French people who do not have a sufficient Internet connection, especially in rural areas.
Up to 600 euros in aid for high-speed Internet access
The “digital cohesion of territories” scheme, launched in 2018, enabled households and businesses not covered by wired networks to switch to wireless broadband, thanks to aid for the cost of equipment, installation or in service up to 150 euros.
“The finding is that this amount is not enough to allow people to equip themselves. So we decided to go to 300 euros, or even 600 euros”, according to resource criteria, said Jean Castex during a trip to Ariège alongside the Secretary of State for Digital Cédric O. This system will come into force in April, indicated the Prime Minister, at the end of a visit to a fiber deployment site in Moulin-Neuf, north-east of Foix.
For French people who do not yet have fiber, we are doubling the financial aid to guarantee access to very high speed.
Those eligible for the scheme will receive aid of €300, up to €600 subject to means testing.https://t.co/9xdI2vkner— Jean Castex (@JeanCASTEX) February 5, 2022
This project is part of the “France Very High Speed” plan, which aims to cover the entire territory with very high speed (over 30 Mb/s) by the end of 2022.
The UFC-Que Choisir association pointed out in a study published at the end of January that despite the 4G mobile network, 32% of consumers in rural areas are deprived of “good broadband”, namely an Internet connection with a speed greater than 8 Mb/ s.
