5G in society: environment, disputed futures, and contested governance

Abstract

This paper examines the public controversy surrounding the deployment of 5G networks in France. Situated at the intersection of Science and Technology Studies and the sociology of public problems, it analyzes how an issue initially framed through technocratic and industrial discourse evolved into a multidimensional public debate structured by health, environmental, and democratic concerns. Based on press and document analysis, and on material collected through participation in an expert assessment process, the study highlights the emergence of environmental concerns as a central framing operator, reshaping what was at stake in the controversy, which actors were recognized as legitimate participants, and the conditions under which technological futures were publicly legitimized. Within this contested space, the paper identifies two competing sociotechnical imaginaries: one portraying 5G as a “green” and efficient infrastructure supporting ecological transition; the other framing it as a marker of unsustainable digital acceleration. It also shows how the temporal sequencing of regulatory decisions and expert assessments contributed to sustaining contestation by weakening the perceived capacity of expertise to inform decisions upstream. Overall, the findings clarify how controversies over digital infrastructures reflect broader societal tensions around innovation, sustainability, and technology governance.