The State Against the Internet: Bureaucratic Resistance to the Network in France

From today’s perspective, the socio-technological benefits of the Internet are obvious. But for the political actors of 1990’s Europe, the future of networks was clouded with uncertainty. Several systems coexisted and the liberalization of telecommunications amplified competition between various service providers. In France notably, the success of the Minitel, was one among many reasons put forward by public officials to justify a policy of distrust towards the “US” network. The chapter thus studies technological planning and the role of civil engineers in developing the “information superhighways” in France. Through this case study, we grasp the short- and long-term effects of industrial policy’s reform in Europe.