9. MOANA MACKEY (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister for Information Technology
What is the Government doing to improve high-speed capacity broadband in New Zealand towns and cities?
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE (Minister for Information Technology) Link to this
On 1 November we launched a contestable $24 million Broadband Challenge fund. It will stimulate partnerships with the community and the private sector in order to provide very-high-speed, open-access broadband to towns and cities around New Zealand, and to extend the reach of broadband into underserved areas.
Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE Link to this
It has been very pleasing. Yesterday I spoke at the Digital Cities and Regional Networks conference in Wellington, which was attended by around 150 mayors, local government officials, community organisations, and entrepreneurs. They were interested in taking advantage of the new fund, and I expect that levels of interest in partnerships to lay open-access fibre around New Zealand will be high.