Within the context of the discussion of the budget 2001, Sophia Antipolis' father brought in an amendment relative to the transfer of UMTS licences and asked for a debate about hertzian frequencies.
We have to notice two interventions of Senator Pierre Lafitte that have been made within the context of the discussion of the budget 2001. As for the first one, the matter is an amendment that has been brought in, and which was relative to receipts resulting from the transfer of UMTS licences by the government.
Basically this amendment makes provision for a part of these receipts (10%) should be allotted to the Technologic Research Fund in order to finance research as regards telecommunications (space telecoms included), software and multimedia. Don't forget that the receipts resulting from these licences are valued to 130 billion francs. Thus, 13 billion francs should be given to the research in what is considered as a major field for the future of French and European economy.
The second intervention takes up in a proposition : launching a parliamentary debate about the reorganization of the spectrum of frequencies in France. This reorganization makes provision for a releasing of some frequencies. Around thirty of them should be available because of those that will be allotted to television.
Thus, Senator Pierre Lafitte, within the context of this debate ,suggests to think about the deployment of these frequencies all over the territory. The deployment of a UMTS licence costs around 40 billion francs whereas the one of a VHF licence costs only 10 billion francs. At a price of 30 billion a frequency, we understand the financial stake that the availability of such frequencies could represent for France. As far as he is concerned, Senator Lafitte suggests to allot a part of these receipts to the Department of Trade and Industry and to the Ministry of the Arts.