French local authorities will not rest in peace with RIP

An unconfirmed report from Telecompaper says that a number of local authorities in France have banded together to form a new fibre-optic networks industry association – Reseaux d’Initiative Publique or RIP. The agency will bring together a number of disparate groups in the industry into a single body with the aim of helping its members negotiate with manufacturers to drive down rollout costs. With the country’s long-term fibre-optic rollout plan expected to cost in excess of EUR20 billion (USD25.9 billion), and take anything up to 30 years to complete, the RIP is hoping to stimulate investment in the short term by working together in this area.