Numerical Public space

A numerical public space ( EPN ) is reception facilities of the public, with nonlucrative goal, for initiation with data processing and the Technologies the information and communication. This name initially was a French label, whose term spread.

The Inter-ministerial committee for the company of information in 2000 (CISI 2000) launched numerical public spaces (EPN) as arms principal in a territorial fight against the numerical disparities. The charter of the EPN, under the aegis of the interdepartmental Mission for the public access to Internet and multi-media (MAPI), imposed a place open to the general public without search for profit, with at least 5 computers and 1 organizer, and the mission of helping with the appropriation of the TIC. From 2002, the governmental Label NetPublic replaced label EPN.

There exist different type of EPN corresponding to various charters of uses and resulting from various ministries or regional initiatives. Indeed, after the speech of Jospin with Hourtin in 1997, the ministries thought of the development of numerical public spaces, each one launching its own projects according to its competences.

Spaces Multi-media Culture are the first to be born, announced in the PAGSI of 1998. They must support the cultural and artistic dimension of the Fabric.
the Cyb Point, supported by the Ministère of Youth and the sports, mainly open in the places of information that the Ministry finances locally (BIJ, PIJ, CRIJ…). Their privileged public is thus the young people, with a particular work of information and insertion.
the Ministry for Employment launched through its project Algora, the Access point to Téléformation (P@t), the Workshops of Pedagogy Personalized (APP) and equipped ANPE.

The parapublic services were put at contribution also:

the Case of the Deposits and Consignments, at the request of the government, set up the cyberbases, often created ex-nihilo and key-in-hand, directed towards the access and initiation, with a territorial approach.
France Telecom via her subsidiary company Régie T proposes into 1998 Spaces Multi-media in City (EMV), misant on a local dynamics and the national accompaniment

In spite of specificities of each program, the priority remains the access to Internet and initiation, with for consequence a difficulty of differentiation. Indeed, often, by a series of lack (human times, motivation, means, financial means…), the characteristics of each national plan were put on standby, supporting the basic functions.

Other programs were set up, related to a local reality. Thus by the first, the district council of Brittany created Cybercommunes, gathering 400 places, Regional spaces Internet Citizen of Provence the Alps Riviera were launched in 2002, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais proposes its cybercentres, and the Limousin the Public Points Multi-media, while the Countries of the Loire initiated Cybelis. But the results are often the same ones. Either the network is dense and thus qualitatively heterogeneous, or the places are framed strictly, but then they are often rare on the territory. Whereas the initial objectives, not always produced with final, of the national plans answer specificities of activities (employment, initiation, culture) or of public (young people, populations of popular quarters), the local programs touch more of the problems of levelling installation of the territory, in particular in favor of the rural areas.

External bonds

Repertory of the French EPN
Repertory of the foreign EPN

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