From the “anti-Linky opposition” to the ecological justification of smart metering. Back to the genesis of a controversial project
The article proposes a study of the public controversy over the French electricity smart meter “Linky” by questioning the construction of its ecological dimension. It argues that this controversy is rooted in the criticism of both the technical features of the new device and the political genesis of the national program of mandatory installation in all French homes. The first part of the paper offers a description of the French controversy, drawing on a textual qualitative analysis of the national press published between 2015 and 2016. It describes how a public and plurithematic controversy unfolded, through several reconfigurations, and imposed a range of trials to the technical device. The second part connects this analysis to the political genesis of the Linky program. Basing on interviews and a survey of regulatory documents, expert reports and political debates, the authors offer a socio-history of the rollout program which shows how public opposition has been fuelled by limitations in how the project has been framed and handled by political and administrative institutions.