France's Digital Master Plan Unveiled

The first reactions to France's plan to become a digital powerhouse have been favorable. Eric Besson, the secretary of state for the development of the digital economy, unveiled key points of the plan Monday. They include speeding up extension of broadband access to 100 percent of the population (it is at 54 percent now) by 2010, two years earlier than previously announced and converting the entire country to digital TV by 2011. Besson said the plan, known as "Digital France 2012, "can and should be an accelerator of (economic) growth." Besson noted that investment in digital technology in France is half what it is in the US and one-third the investment in other northern European countries.