10 April
1997 : the interministerial committee for regional development (CIADT) met
at Auch to approve an advance project for the national plan for the organisation
of regional development in France for the year 2015. One of the measures
proposed by the government involves equipping schools with networked
micro-computers. The CIADT stated: "From now until the year 2000, carry
out what is required so that no young person will leave the educational system
without knowing how to use a micro-computer, word processor, spreadsheet,
electronic mail, and without knowing how to find information on a network.
To this end, secondary schools and some primary schools must be equipped with
connectable micro-computers, in the first phase one PC per 30 pupils in primary
schools, one per 15 in younger classes in secondary schools, and one per 10
senior year secondary pupils. These establishments must also have access to
external networks." This advance project will be submitted to regional,
county and town councils who have 4 months to make their considerations known.
The Economic and Social Council, and the National Council for Regional
Development will also be consulted. At the end of this new phase of
consultation, the advance project will become a project and will be submitted to
Parliament.
28
March 1997 : the evaluation of the 244 certified projects in October 1995
and March 1996 is in process. This is being carried out by a cabinet council
designated by the ministry, and it will come to an end next November. As a first
step, each project provider has been asked to fill out an evaluation sheet.
Then each project will be the subject of an audit.
13 March
1997 : a government seminar examined the procedures for putting into place
the different measures announced by the President of France on 10 March. The
Prime Minister announced that he would put it to our European partners from
June, that VAT should be at 5.5% for "educational and cultural CD ROM's
and online products", and that networking all schools would begin with
"a telephone connection in every class".
13
March 1997 : a capital risk fund
set up by the INRIA to target information
technology. An announcement was made on the occasion of Ilog's entering
NASDAQ.
12 March
1997 : the development of the Internet was the subject of a speech made by
François Fillon to a general meeting of Telematics service providers
(Geste). .The full speech in French.
11 March
1997 : publication of the "Press and the multimedia" report
written by Jean-Charles Bourdier, editor of the Républicain Lorrain
newspaper. The recommendations made in this report will be examined with
publishers.
5 March
1997 : Antoine Beaussant presented
the National Charter
for the Internet
which was drafted by Internet professionals. François Fillon wishes to
see the project debated publicly. Press
statement.
14
February 1997 : LiveTopics, a new Internet research tool, developed by a
young French researcher at the Ecole des Mines de Paris, has been chosen by
Digital Equipment to improve the Alta Vista server.
Press statement.
5
February 1997 :Bill Gates and François Fillon met in Paris. The
minister presented the process for liberalisation of the telecommunications
sector in France, as well as that for encryption to the President of Microsoft.
They also discussed the role of computers in school. Photo.
23
January 1997 : François Fillon and John Manley, Canadian Minister for
Industry, discussed cooperation between France and Canada in the area of the
information highway. On the occasion of this meeting, six accords between French
and Canadian industrialists were signed.
Press statement.
14
January 1997 : while offering his best wishes for the New Year to the Press,
François Fillon declared that "the development of the
information highway and information services" was a major priority
for 1997.
1
January 1997 : a permanent office for the reception and analysis of projects
in the domain of the information highway and information services is set up at
the ministry for postal services, telecommunications and space. It is managed by
the SERICS department.
23
October 1996 : in a press conference, François Fillon presents
new French initiatives designed to
encourage the harmonious development of the Internet while pre-empting its use
to ends which may be contrary to public order and security in each State. One of
these initiatives is a proposal for an International Cooperation Charter.
15
0ctober 1996 : the Information Highway Observatory is just born.It will follow up on the trials and report its
findings.
11 July
1996 : the report of the interministerial commission on the development of
Internet has been submitted to ministers (François Fillon, minister for
Postal Services, Telecommunications and Philippe Douste-Blazy,
minister for Culture). Summary
This commission leaded by Madame Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin was asked to
review the legal problems raised by the network, the responses currently in use
at national and international level, and necessary and desirable adaptations.
In the autumn, François Fillon will make his decision known as to
what response he intends to give to these propositions.
27 March 1996 : communication
to the cabinet ( 74 supplementary trials recognized, measures to encourage the
purchase of computers...)
26 March 1996 : definitive text of the law
20 February 1996 : bill voted by the Senate after a first reading
19 February 1996 : information technologies/the new
call for proposals launched by the French authorities is available on this Web.
It's targated to middle size businesses.
1 February 1996 : 74 new projects are going to be approved. A new call for
proposals targated to medium-sized companies centred around innovation in
network and multimedia technologies
30 January 1996 : bill designed to allow certain trials
on the information highways and services voted by the Chamber of Deputies
(Assemblée nationale) after a first reading.
Few changes to the
original text, apart from an amendment allowing local councils to express their
position on trials planned in their area.
This bill does not replace the
future law to revise current telecommunications regulations.
It is an
emergency law which will allow testing of public interest and feasibility of a
series of trials which will be limited in time and area. These trials could not
have been carried out without exemptions to two existing laws being granted.
12 January 1996 : François Fillon
comments the announcement by France Telecom on access to the Internet
1 January 1996 : France will preside over the
Group of seven leading industrial nations (G7) until 31 December 1996.
In this capacity it will play an active role in preparing the conference on
"The Information Society and development policy" which will take place
in Midrand in South Africa from 13 to 15 May 1996.
15 November 1995 : presentation to the
Cabinet of a bill designed to allow certain trials
The Minister of Posts, Telecommunications presented a bill
to the Cabinet on 15 November 1995. This bill is designed to render conditions
favourable for beginning certain trials in the information and services domain
which could not be carried out within the existing legal framework.
This bill provides for the establishment of a regime of trial licences which
will be reserved for a small number of projects for a limited period of time
and over a limited geographical area.
16 October 1995 :170 projects for the information
highways and services are officially selected by the government
The interministerial Committee for the
information higways and services
met on 16 October. The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister.
Main announcements and decisions:
- 170 projects are deemed to be "in
the public interest", following an examination of the 635 projects
submitted when proposals were called for
.
-
examination of 194 other projects by the end of 1995
- announcement of the
bill
- finance : 48 projects will receive 50 million francs made available
for this purpose in 1995; 285 million francs are included in the 1996 budget
-
support for the provision of online services and optical memory (CD ROM) through
the creation of a fund of 30 million francs
- all residents of France must
have access to an Internet access provider for the cost of a local call. To this
end, François Fillon asked France Telecom to set up an appropriate
system.
September 1995 : birth of the Inter-industry group on the
information highways
The main players involved in the information higways and services formed a
group to debate and make propositions. This is the Inter-industry group.
. The French approach
. News from previous
months
. News