SXMElections.com

MARIGOT--The Collectivité is drawing on the support of the State to have all French-side residents and businesses entirely connected to high-speed Internet by 2020 or 2022, it was announced at a press conference convened by Vice-President Wendel Cocks on Thursday.

The Collectivité is taking advantage of funds available through Plan France Très Haut Débit, a national scheme to have all of France, including overseas territories, connected with high-speed Internet by 2022. Projects were invited to be submitted since May 2015.

Studies have shown that one home in five in St. Martin does not have access to the Internet. It was indicated access to high-speed Internet is vital to businesses and, by extension, the economic development of the territory.

The project’s Chargé de Mission, Gilles Coester of the Préfecture of Guadeloupe, and Julien Garcia of the consultancy firm Tactis were present at the press conference to give details of the studies already undertaken.

It was noted that two priority areas for high-speed Internet connection are Sandy Ground and French Quarter. Various schools also need to be connected.

The total cost of the project for St. Martin is 14 million euros, of which the Collectivité is contributing six million. The dossier has to be submitted no later than December 31, 2015. St. Barths has applied already and will have fibre optic cable installed next year.

“Fibre optic cable gives the Internet that extra boost and that’s what is lacking in St. Martin,” said Cocks. “The problem is that for Orange and those telecom companies, high-speed Internet is prohibitively expensive and the speed is not what you would get with fibre optic cable. Tactis has met with all the stakeholders – Orange, Dauphin Telecom – already.”

The Internet project was also the first item on the agenda at the Territorial Council meeting Thursday and was adopted by the Council.