10. CLARE CURRAN (Labour—Dunedin South) Link to this
to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology
Will the Government’s $1.5 billion election promise to deliver ultra-fast broadband fibre to 75 percent of New Zealand homes include the cost of taking fibre from the street into the home?
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Communications and Information Technology) Link to this
The Government is committed to making the $1.5 billion investment in accelerating ultra-fast broadband to 75 percent of New Zealand homes, alongside private co-investors. The exact methods of deployment, the level of fibre backhaul required, the level of acceptable overbuild, the common technical standards, and the level of consumer contribution will all be resolved as we move through this process that we have embarked upon.
When the Minister told the House last week that the Government’s goal was to provide availability of ultra-fast broadband, did his definition of “availability” mean that families would have to bear costs of thousands of dollars to connect ultra-fast broadband to their homes?
There will, of course, be an element of cost, an element of service rental, and an element of installation cost. The amounts will be commercial decisions, but the local fibre companies and retailers will be acutely aware that the level of installation cost will greatly impact take-up. I point out to the member that nobody has ever said that ultra-fast broadband will be provided to 75 percent of New Zealand homes completely free of charge.
Does the Minister agree with John Key, who promised to provide ultra-fast broadband to where people work, live, or study; if so, is it not true that people live at home and not on the street, that children study at schools and not on the street, and that it is to homes and schools that ultra-fast broadband needs to be delivered and not the street?
I seek leave to table two documents. The first is an opinion piece titled “Telcos universally challenged”, dated 4 May, by—
Mr SPEAKERA document published on the Stuff website? Leave is sought to table that. Is that any objection? There is.
I seek leave to table edition No. 46 of John Key’s newsletter entitled Key Notes, published 9 April.