My name is Alain Baron. I've been working in telecommunications for the last 23 years. I am one of the national leaders of SUD-PTT, which is the second largest trade union in France Telecom and the Post Office. Basically, the French situation is very much the same as in other countries, where are the same trends and measures towards liberalisation and privatisation taking place as elsewhere. The only differences concern form and pace.
Internet offers immense possibilities for information exchange and access to culture.
Yet this potential dimension of Internet is contrary to the commercial objectives of those industrial and financial interest groups that dominant the world. These particular interest groups treat Internet as rich source of profits and as a means for increasing their market share. Behind the current wave of liberalisation in telecommunication markets is an attempt to apply the same commercial rules and regulations applicable to other goods and services so as to put a monetary value on every facet of services in direct proportion to its cost price. Evidently, this kind of economics calls into question the existing tariff structures whereby small consumers are financially supported by big consumers. The following examples speak for themselves.