There are some important questions that the government needs to answer.

1. Why did Steven Joyce and Ministry of Economic Development officials meet with Telecom in Auckland last Friday?
2. Why the did the Prime Minister and Steven Joyce meet with Telecom on Wednesday?
3. What deal is being discussed about Telecom’s role in the $1.5 billion plan to roll out ultrafast broadband? Given the Government has continually said the bidding for broadband rollout will be an open contestable process.

The public has a right to know what’s being discussed.

This was National’s biggest campaign pledge. It’s a year since the election and it’s nowhere near getting off the ground. Telecom is our biggest telco. It appears its frozen out of bidding for the broadband rollout unless it structurally separates its network business.

There are significant concerns about the government’s business model for broadband being flawed with private sector reports that the rate of return required for its investment is not achievable.

Here’s what I asked Steven Joyce yesterday in the House:

Clare Curran: Does he believe that structural separation of Telecom New Zealand prior to the roll-out of the Government’s broadband reforms is necessary to achieve truer competition at the wholesale and access levels, and can he confirm that he met with Telecom New Zealand’s chief executive officer, Paul Reynolds, last Friday to discuss structural separation?

Hon STEVEN JOYCE: No, I cannot confirm that structural separation would be necessary. I can confirm that I met with Paul Reynolds last Friday, in preparation for a meeting between the Prime Minister, me, Mr Reynolds, and his chairman yesterday, and structural separation was not on the agenda

Does that mean structural separation was not discussed? That’s not what I heard. I lodged these written questions to the Minister yesterday after Question Time.

1. Has he ever discussed possible structural separation with any Telecom representatives; if so, who were the discussions with and when did they occur?
2. Is he in favour of structural separation of Telecom?
3. Has he ever suggested or recommended structural separation to any Telecom representatives; if so, who were the discussions with and when did they occur?
4. Has he discussed possible structural separation of Telecom with the Prime Minister or any of his Ministerial colleagues; if so, when and with whom?
5. What briefing papers, listed by title and date, has he received about possible structural separation of Telecom?
6. What correspondence has he received or sent, listed by correspondent and date, about possible structural separation of Telecom?
7. What meetings has he attended where possible structural separation of Telecom has been raised; on what dates were those meetings and who were the attendees?

Tell us what’s on the table with Telecom Mr Joyce.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 8:30 am and is filed under comms & IT. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.