The man was picked up near Rouen days after arsonists damaged train signaling cables around the country, but he is not a suspect in that case, prosecutors say.
He masterminded the building of a transoceanic fiber-optics network to speed the internet and phone traffic. But in five years the company went bankrupt in a historic failure.
President Biden has promised to provide every American access to reliable high-speed internet. But some have raised concerns about whether the funds will achieve all of the administration’s goals.
Among the infected are two workers who were helping to distribute aid shipments at the Tongan wharf after a volcanic eruption and tsunami tested positive.
Many more people in cities lack broadband access than in rural areas, but lawmakers are primarily focused on extending high-speed access to remote areas.
A physicist and entrepreneur who cut an imposing figure, he did more than anyone to make optical research a priority in government and corporate budgets.