Communications and IT Minister Steven Joyce has just told the House in question time that there has been no delay in rolling out ultrafast broadband.
It’s amazing how this government can tell a barefaced lie with a straight face. The election was almost a year ago. The $1.5 billion delivery of broadband to 75% of New Zealand homes was a core election promise. Supposedly ready to go! They axed the previous Government’s programme which was poised to rollout and put everything on hold for months while they recast a plan which now looks remarkedly like the previous government’s. That’s taken all year.
The delays continue. It is unlikely that any actual rollout will begin until mid to late next year. That leaves eight years. The real cost is estimated at around $6 billion to connect to people’s homes.
This government talks about investing in infrastructure. It seems to think that infrastructure is purely the network of roads, wires or fibre required to create a physical structure. What Mr Joyce, who is also the Associate Minister of Infrastructure, doesn’t seem to get, or pays lipservice to, is that with broadband, you can just invest in the fibre. You’ve got to invest in what will pass through the fibre. Services that will benefit society. And that’s the government’s role.
It’s unknown whether the private sector investment required to make up the shortfall between $1.5 b and $6 billion will manifest itself, because its unknown what level of public investment will be made in the health, education and enregy sectors which will stimulate demand. That’s the real question.
Steven Joyce is adept at running a bland line that focuses on the mechanics. They are important. But they’re just a part of it. A bit more of a holistic approach wouldn’t go astray. Might be against his nature.
[...] Curran has blogged at Red Alert: Communications and IT
Yes, it would be nice to have the broadband up and running!
Interesting review of this post over at Kiwiblog: http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/09/fisking_clare.html
Whats the bet Joyce gets a promotion before anything starts, so its back to the beginning for a new Minister such as Williamson
@ bikerkiwi and David Farrar. Must have hit a nerve David, if you feel the need to rush to defend Steven Joyce on kiwblog. http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2009/09/fisking_clare.html
You know very well that there has been an extraordinary delay this year, while the government actually worked out how to deliver its policy. And you know that many many industry players have become increasingly agitated about it.
In 2008, the Oz government released a policy to deliver broadband for around $4.7 billion. Just as they were about to proceed with it earlier this year, they abruptly cancelled it and decided to grasp the mettle and get the issue right (intervention from Kevin Rudd I believe). The redeveloped policy proposal was estimated to cost around $43 billion. This is true ambition for that country.
Perhaps this is the dilemma that Steven Joyce is facing, and I have blogged on that before too. He was sold a pup. He’s not doing a bad job, he’s a smart cookie (I can be nice Steven) and I think he genuinely wants to get it right. Not sure he can within the current policy parameters. That’s what I’m saying, and I’ll keep saying it and I’ve got more coming.
a few years ago we had the new zealand post office.it ran the phone service.it had specialised linesman with specialised equipment,its own engineers its own design team.they did this type of work and if they hadn’t have sold off we would have had broadband by now.to give the public broadband you must first have the right people to do it.but this is what happens when you privatise some govt departments like railways etc.milton fraudman and the chicago school of economics has destroyed a lot of peoples lives.
Just one point, has anyone considered the fact that this will only improve NZ internet traffic, not international?
We need additional undersea cables linking up to NZ, which will encourage ISPs to increase the traffic allowed in our plans.
This Gnational government isn’t getting alternative cables laid for our international traffic, so where’s the announcement of extra internet services? Like, where is the point of only upgrading the NZ internet only, if there isn’t that much new content on it? I want international connections improved too.