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Is Amy Adams’ work programme a state secret?

Posted by Clare Curran on February 2nd, 2012

I’ve been looking forward to taking on Amy Adams, the new Minister of ICT. I’ve been impressed by her no- nonsense approach to things and her obvious intellect.

I was hoping for an opponent on the other side of the House who would grasp that technology had the capacity to transform our economy. I wasn’t holding out a lot of hope that she’d take seriously the importance of the social objectives of providing more access to technology, other than to pay lipservice, which is pretty much what Steven Joyce did.

But I was pretty appalled today to receive the incoming briefing document from the Ministry of Economic Development to the new Minsiter, which sets out all the major policy issues that lie ahead and provides a list of the pending decisions and actions over the next six months.

Great tracts of the former (policy issues) were removed from the document under the Official Information Act.

When it came to the decision and actions required over the next six months, there was a gaping two page  hole in the document.

VOTE COMMUNICATIONS: BRIEFING FOR THE INCOMING MINISTER 2011

MED1245438 Page 22 of 34

MED1284612

PENDING DECISIONS OR ACTIONS REQUIRED IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS

[Withheld under sections 9(2)(f)(iv) and 9(2)(g)(i) of the Official Information Act 1982]

blank blank blank………

I’ve talked to a few industry people about this today. It’s unprecedented I think. Highly unusual and you’ve got to ask what on earth is so secretive about Minister Adams’ workplan and pending decisions that they all need to be kept secret?

Remember this is taxpayers money that funds Vote Communications. The signs are not good that the taxpayers will get the opportunity to scrutinise how their needs are best being met.

The intro by MED to the briefing reveals that the three big issues are these:

  • The roll-out of the Ultra Fast Broadband and Rural Broadband initiatives
  • The free-up of 4G wireless frequencies
  • Cross sector ICT initiatives in the public service

What can be so sensitive about these issues that the discussion and debate around decision-making can’t be held in public.

The previous Minister Steven Joyce maintained an arrogant and unresponsive approach to the public, and now it appears that Amy Adams may do the same.

When you make something secret you should have a good reason.  The public must be reassured that decisions being made by this Minister are not favouring commercial interests over the public good.

Hopefully an OIA will shine some sunlight on this.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadband, comms & IT
12 Comments

Labour commits to a digital nation

Posted by Clare Curran on October 17th, 2011

Labour’s Communications and IT policy, announced today (and available here), will invest in local people, business and intellectual capital to drive our economy forward.

Kiwi kids are growing up in a digital world. They need the skills and career pathways available to enable them to excel in this increasingly important arena.

Labour will ensure all Kiwi families can access the internet and high speed broadband no matter what their background.

Some of our greatest innovations can come out of the most deprived areas. Labour will encourage community participation in IT by among other things increasing funding to Computer Clubhouses and Computers in Homes by $2.7 million.

Labour has the commitment and the plans to establish New Zealand as a digital nation. This means making sure New Zealand develops a comprehensive digital infrastructure and ensuring that no-one misses out, so that all of our potential whizz kids of the future can flourish.

Labour has some grave concerns about Government’s urban and rural broadband scheme, and with the amendments to the Telecommunications Act passed in 2011.

National’s broadband network must not be a tool to entrench the divide between the haves and the have nots. Labour will conduct an independent review of the ultrafast broadband rollout, including a full assessment of the true costs of the scheme.

While we commit to working within Crown Fibre Holdings’ current investment limit of $1.35bn for ultrafast broadband, we will allow and encourage the UFB to be extended to other areas of New Zealand.

Labour’s ICT policy also sets out an ambitious forward thinking strategy to draw together the policy and regulatory environments for ICT, telecommunications, broadcasting and the internet realm Labour’s ICT policy is a converged policy with broadcasting. The broadcasting component will be announced separately in the coming weeks.

Many other countries including the United Kingdom,  Malaysia, the EU, the UK, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, South Africa have already taken this approach.  Australia and Canada are moving in that direction. As the technologies converge a number of issues arise around the networks that will be needed to carry both content produced inside New Zealand and which comes from outside the country.

Each action Labour proposes is underpinned by the recognition that a growing economy is dependent on building local skills. Labour will:

  • Address the current skills shortage in the ICT sector and wider community by promoting digital careers, matching tertiary courses to IT industry needs and attracting more skilled ICT practitioners to New Zealand
  • Lift the number of IT Industry interns from 200 to 1000 nationwide.
  • Establish a Ministry of Communications and IT, based in the Ministry of Economic Development, to bring together all policy involving broadcasting, communications and information technology issues.
  • Establish an independent network regulator to investigate the impact of monopolies in both the telecommunications and broadcasting marketplaces.
  • Appoint a Chief Technical Advisor, responsible for producing technology roadmaps for New Zealand
  • Review the functions of the Broadcasting Standards Authority, the Press Council and the Advertising Standards Authority.
  • Investigate a whole of government approach to open source software.
  • Introduce a government ‘App store’ to provide a short circuit for fledgling NZ software developers to get to market.
  • Set an aspirational target of 2/3 of government agencies using some form of open source software for a reasonable proportion of their software needs by 2015.
  • Encourage greater diversity in IT suppliers in the public sector
  • Establish a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for open source software development.
  • Improve New Zealand’s Cyber Security Strategy.
  • Establish a Computer Emergency Response Team for New Zealand.

Labour’s ICT policy also contains the details of Labour’s policy on copyright, which will remove the clause for internet account suspension for infringing file sharing as a remedy the District Court can impose; and commits to conduct a full review of the Copyright Act, with the aim of introducing a new Copyright Bill within 18 months that updates and extends the framework for digital copyright in New Zealand.

It’s a policy with a lot in it. I hope you’ll read it.

Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, #ownourfuture, broadband, broadcasting
31 Comments

Thinking outside the square #3

Posted by Clare Curran on October 17th, 2011

If New Zealand’s economic future requires a focus on a digital economy, what are the barriers to that taking off?

No doubt there are a few. One of them is who gets access access to technology.

How many people in New  Zealand currently don’t have a computer in their homes? Perhaps more importantly, how many of these people have  pre-school or school-aged children?

And how many of the schools that they go to have good connectivity and are likely to be connected to the ultrafast broadband network in the foreseeable future?

Take a child of 5 starting school on 25 October. No computer at home. Limited connectivity at the school. Could be in South Auckland. Could be Palmerston North. Could be Balclutha.

One or two computers per classroom. In 5 years time, aged 10, her school has only just been connected to the ultrafast broadband network.

Because the school has to look for most of the money within its existing operations budget, it’s still grappling with the increased costs to upgrade wiring, hardware and software. There’s still only a few PCs in each classroom.

Her parents have now bought a computer at home but still can’t afford to connect.

Compare that to the 5 year old on the North Shore who’s parents have iPads, iPhones and iMacs. They use a wireless connection at home. Their suburb was a priority  to get connected to Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB). As was their daughter’s school, which was in the first wave of connectivity. All the children have devices at school. Their child regularly uses the internet for her homework.

This is the digital divide. It’s already here. It must not get bigger. Labour intends to close it.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, #ownourfuture, broadband, comms & IT
5 Comments

A matter of privilege

Posted by Clare Curran on September 5th, 2011

At the beginning of August I laid a complaint with the Speaker Lockwood Smith asking him to refer Steven Joyce to the parliamentary Privileges Committee for having deliberately misled (ie lied to) parliament in answering a written question more than two years ago.

The complaint was that he had deliberately misled the House. It’s a very serious matter. I take it seriously. I hope all MPs and Ministers do. You can lose your Ministerial portfolio and even your job for doing so.

The Speaker has since replied to me saying that he has determined that no question of privilege is involved.

He doesn’t have to give reasons.

For an understanding of why I laid the complaint and the seriousness of the issue read here and here. And here.

The letter that Joyce lied about was important because it implied the government held opinions on the  structural separation of Telecom and that they were being communicated to Telecom well before the tender process had begun on the ultrafast broadband project.

Well before Telecom had been named as being the successful bidder for the broadband project. Well before Telecom had announced it would structurally separate if it won the UFB; and well before pre-emptive legislation was brought before parliament on that issue (before the contract was announced).

Sound weird? And suspicious? Well yes it is.

This is a very big government project. A large amount of taxpayers money is involved. Steven Joyce has not been straight with the public throughout the process.

He has a track record of negotiating government contracts in great secrecy and getting the outcomes he wants with little or no transparency for the taxpayers. He fought for two years to keep that letter from the public arena once the DomPost discovered it existed.

I can’t challenge the Speaker’s decision. My concern is that if it’s okay to mislead (lie to) parliament about an issue this important, what else is it okay for this government to lie about? And get away with?

I have lodged a Notice of Motion  with the Clerk of the House to refer the issue to the Privileges Committee which I will attempt to move next Tuesday in the House.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadband, comms & IT, democracy, parliament
17 Comments

Is this true?

Posted by Clare Curran on August 15th, 2011

The process of awarding the ultrafast broadband contract to Telecom has been shrouded in secrecy and dubious process from day one.

I think there’s pretty general agreement about that. The problem has been working out what actually went on.

A letter recently came to light between Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds and Communications Minister Steven Joyce which indicated pretty strongly that the structural separation of Telecom was being discussed way back two years ago before the contract tenders had been announced.

If so, then it would appear that a plan was put in place and an outcome determined before the tenders were put to the public.

If so, that makes a complete mockery of the tender process and the other tendering parties who would be right to feel very aggrieved.

I’ve been told (by a very strong source) that around that time (2009), the Ministry of Economic Development head in charge of broadband Bruce Parkes, used emissaries to go and talk to the Telecom boss and verbally explain that if Telecom agreed to voluntarily separate, there would be “regulatory relief” (and by implication the ultrafast broadband contract would follow).

One of those emissaries has said that when speaking to Reynolds, he/she was told “you’re not the only one they’ve sent to tell us that”.

I’ve also been told, from within Telecom, that the letter written by Reynolds back to Joyce was deliberate, to put it on the record so to speak.

This smells.

I have a request before the Speaker of the House Lockwood Smith referring Steven Joyce to the privileges committee for denying any letters existed on this issue. The letter I’ve referred to above clearly did exist. He has fought to keep it from the public eye since Octover 2009.

I’m waiting for the Speaker’s response.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadband, comms & IT
15 Comments

Joyce caught red handed

Posted by Clare Curran on August 2nd, 2011

Steven Joyce has been caught red handed and is now attempting to worm his way out of reference to privileges committee.

I hope Speaker of the House, Lockwood Smith, who is a straight shooter, can see though Joyce’s ploy.

Yesterday I laid a complaint with Lockwood over whether Steven Joyce deliberately misled Parliament by not revealing the existence of a crucial letter from Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds on the ultrafast broadband project. The letter made reference to the possible structural separation of Telecom. He denied seeing any correspondence on the issue.

This morning, two years after that letter was sent and 21 months after he responded in the negative to a written question by me, he issued a corrected reply.

What a coincidence that his corrected response comes just a day after I laid the complaint with the Speaker.

I find it breath-taking that Steven Joyce can show such cynical disregard for accountability and transparency for Parliamentary procedure. He is treating the entire process with contempt. Whether it’s the Labour Opposition’s right to receive a truthful answer to a question, or the parliamentary process to take its course once a complaint has been laid.

For these reasons I am releasing both my letter to the Speaker and Steven Joyce’s corrected answer (see below).

I hope the Speaker holds Steven Joyce to account for his deliberate obfuscation.

Subject: 15840 (2009) Published – Communications and Information Technology – Corrected Reply

Question: What correspondence, if any, has he received or sent, listed by correspondent and date, about possible structural separation of Telecom?

Portfolio: Communications and Information Technology
Minister: Hon Steven Joyce
Date Lodged:23/10/2009

Answer Text: I have not sent any correspondence about the possible structural separation of Telecom. I have received one letter from Telecom dated 6 August 2009 where Telecom indicated they understood the Government had a preference for Telecom to structurally separate. Officials advised Telecom at the time that this was not the case.

Date Received:02/08/2011

Here’s his original response to the same question:

15840 (2009). Clare Curran to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology (23 Oct 2009): What correspondence, if any, has he recieved or sent, listed by correspondent and date, about possible structural separation of Telecom

Hon Steven Joyce (Minister for Communications and Information Technology) replied: I have not received or sent any correspondence about possible structural separation of Telecom

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadband, comms & IT, parliament
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It doesn’t stack up

Posted by Clare Curran on July 28th, 2011

Steven Joyce was reported in this morning’s DomPost as saying he “overlooked” a letter sent to him by Telecom chief Paul Reynolds when telling me that he had not got any correspondence on Telecom’s structural separation.

The letter from Reynolds was sent to Joyce on 6 August 2009. In October 2009 I requested an answer from Joyce on whether he had received or been sent any correspondence on structural separation. His answer was NO.

Joyce then spent a year and a half trying to suppress the release of this letter amongst other things to the DomPost.

The DomPost first discovered there was a letter in around November 2009. Joyce went to great lengths to suppress it. It was referred to the Ombudsman and it’s my understanding that there were dozens of contacts between the Ombudsman’s office, the DomPost and Joyce’s office that went on until the Minister decided to release the letter early this week.

It’s also my understanding that Telecom knew the letter’s significance at the time. I would imagine that Joyce knew the letter’s significance too. He got his officials (allegedly) to contact Reynolds after he received the letter and inform him that he was “incorrect”.

It therefore doesn’t stack up that he “overlooked” this letter when I subsequently wrote to him.

Since the letter has emerged, Joyce has done two things. He’s told the DomPost that Paul Reynolds was “incorrect” in his claim that he understood officials had suggested the Government had a preference for Telecom to voluntarily offer to structurally separate, and called for a meeting to discuss the matter.

And then he’s said he “overlooked” the existence of the letter when I asked him whether he’d received any correspondence on this important issue.

This is despite fighting to keep it secret for a year and a half.

It doesn’t stack up.

I’d like to know what other material has been with-held on discussions between Steven Joyce, John Key and Telecom over structural separation in the last two years and when those meetings were held.

I, and others, have questioned whether the government had a pre-determined position on Telecom undertaking the ultrafast broadband scheme and that structural separation was the price. This was before the contracting process had even begun.

There are other parties to the contracting process who can rightfully be aggrieved should it be revealed this is the case.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadband
17 Comments

Steven Joyce has lied

Posted by Clare Curran on July 27th, 2011

Steven Joyce has lied.

Will it get brushed under the carpet this time and ignored?

I put in a set of written questions to Steven Joyce in late 2009 about his, and his govt’s intentions, re the structural separation of Telecom regarding the ultrafast broadband scheme. In October 2009 he responded.

The questions and answers are here.

This answer is particularly interesting:

15840 (2009). Clare Curran to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology (23 Oct 2009): What correspondence, if any, has he recieved or sent, listed by correspondent and date, about possible structural separation of Telecom

Hon Steven Joyce (Minister for Communications and Information Technology) replied: I have not received or sent any correspondence about possible structural separation of Telecom.

Yet two months earlier, in August 2009, Joyce received a letter from Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds referring to previous meetings with the Minister between himself and Telecom regarding the UFB, referring to Telecom’s potential involvement in the project, referring to constructive discussions and his “understanding that the government has a preference for Telecom to voluntarily offer to structurally separate”

The letter is here

Dr Reynolds sought a further discussion with Steven Joyce on this issue which he described as “extremely significant for us”.

So in August 2009, well before the tender was announced for the UFB, Telecom was raising structural separation with the government, which it understood was the government’s preference.

Meanwhile, Steven Joyce maintained there were no such discussions. He maintained that pretence for two years, right throughout the legislative changes which will preside over the structural separation. He got his spokesperson yesterday to say that Paul Reynolds was incorrect.

Joyce only released the letter this week after consistent pressure from the Dompost. Good on them.

But for how long will he get away with lying? Why are there not more questions being asked?

What else did he cover up? What other discussions were there with telecom about structural separation and how it would work?

The UFB tender process is a fraud and should be investigated.

Lying is not okay by government ministers.

Or is it?

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, broadband
39 Comments

That’s right Don we support UFB but reserve the right to review the contract

Posted by Trevor Mallard on June 20th, 2011

Silly Don Brash is opposed to broadband especially UFB. His opposition was a key recommendation of his taskforce since wound up for being clueless and overspending it’s budget.

He therefore very stupid for criticising Labour for saying we reserve the right to review and amend the arrangements that flow from Joyce’s flawed arrangements.

We think that allowing Telecom monoploy wholesale powers, a 24%  ROI and an underwrite of any loss to the Comcom needs review. And it will get it. And after that review there may be changes. And they will be legislated. And Telecom knows that. They therefore go into this deal with their eyes open.

Brash is reported as saying:-

A future Labour government could rewrite Telecom’s ultrafast broadband (UFB) contract, without paying compensation, Act leader Don Brash said today.

Mr Mallard , and Labour communications spokeswoman Clare Curran, both vehemently opposed the Telecommunications Amendment Bill during its committee-stage debate last week – a session most notable for last-minute changes that allowed for the foreign sale of Telecom’s retail business.

During the committee-stage debate on the new UFB legislation, Labour also tabled an amendment that would have increased the fines that Telecom might have to pay for breaching separation or “line of business” requirements in the bill from $10 million to $100 million.

“Anyone entering into an arrangement based on this legislation has got to know that it may not last,” Mr Mallard added.

Filed under: act party, broadband
9 Comments

Is parliamentary debate a farce?

Posted by Clare Curran on June 19th, 2011

I’ve participated in a few parliamentary debates on important legislation in the last two and a half years.

As a new MP , with little prior experience of parliamentary process, it’s taken a while to get my head around the procedural stuff and some of the seemingly odd rules. Standing orders, conventions etc. Some of them are very odd. Outdated even. Others are grounded in sense and democractic principles.

I believe in the way we run our parliament. That a Bill gets put up by the government, goes to a select committee where the public get the right to submit and comment, it gets thoroughly scrutinised and commented on by officials and the members of the committee from all sides of the House. A revised version goes back to parliament, where it goes through several more stages before becoming law.

But I’m becoming more convinced that much of this process is a farce. Under this government. I don’t know enough about previous governments to comment. But I reckon it can’t have been worse than it is today.

Urgency is used frequently and consistently to push through non-urgent bills and to rush through laws that suit the government’s purpose without the public’s ability to comment. Arrogant disregard for good process and the importance of public scrutiny. And arrogant disregard for the role of Opposition.

Last Thursday an example of this has left me feeling that the concept of actual parliamentary debate is all just a farce.

Steven Joyce is a new Minister. He’s been in parliament as long as me. He’s smart. He’s described as the Minister for everything. He’s completely self assured, arrogant and brushes off public criticism on any issues as being irrelevant.

Humility, the ability to listen and take due regard are qualities I value. Steven Joyce does not posssess these.

The biggest piece of legislative change in the telecommunications sector is currently going through our parliament. Last Thursday saw us make progress in the committee stage through about half of the Bill. It is a very controversial law change. The select committee process was rushed. Labour and the Greens are vehemently opposed to the Bill in its present form. The Act Party members were opposed to it, but appear to have changed their minds. The Maori Party did a deal with the government in order to buy their support.
(more…)

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Filed under: broadband, comms & IT, consultation, democracy, parliament
23 Comments

Market confirms Telecom dicked Joyce

Posted by Trevor Mallard on May 26th, 2011

Market cap of Telecom up by 9% or over $400m since Joyce handed them not only the vast majority of the UFB deal but an underwrite which meant that they could not lose on the arrangement.

That $400m is what shareholders think is the NPV of the deal to them. That is their profit discounted back to present day values.

Nice if you can get it.

Joyce = Muldoon Mark II.

CEOs exit package just went up by $30m I reckon.

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Filed under: broadband
7 Comments

Let’s not game

Posted by Trevor Mallard on May 25th, 2011

hone

Lots of demand following TV3 article for a link to lets-not.co.nz wasn’t meant to make available till Friday but have a look, play the game a few times to see the scenarios and give us feedback.

Filed under: asset sales, blogs, broadband, humour
34 Comments

Making stuff up #3 papering over the (broadband) cracks…

Posted by Clare Curran on May 23rd, 2011

Fresh from his massive backdown/ flip flop (whatever you want to call it) on the regulatory holiday;  the central element of his broadband Bill, Steven Joyce’s latest stuff up in his flawed broadband scheme means hundreds of NZ schools… err… miss out on broadband.

More than 100,000 school students from up to 470 schools have somehow fallen into between the cracks into something called Zone 3 which isn’t covered by either scheme (Hogwarts???)

Several hundred communities miss out; such as Roxburgh, Gore, Cromwell, Alexandra, Westport, Dannevirke, Huntley, Kaitohe, Kaitaia, Matamata, Morrinsville, Opotiki, Orewa, Papakura… the list goes on.

Last week, questioned  in the House Steven Joyce said this:

The reality of the situation is that there was always a boundary between the ultra-fast broadband network and the rural broadband network, and it has always been the intention that schools within that geographical area would be tendered separately.

in response to this question from me:

Why is he using the $15 million that was allocated to connect the most remote schools in New Zealand to broadband, to now connect up to 108,000 New Zealand school students from up to 470 schools who were mistakenly left out of both his urban and rural broadband schemes, as identified in a report written by independent consultant Jonathan Brewer, and is this not just another almighty screw-up in his broadband scheme?

Steven Joyce is just making stuff up.

The NZ Herald reports on it here. The Ministry reckons it’s closer to 300 schools. Could they please find out? And could Steven Joyce tell us what he’s going to do about it?

And how it happened in the first place? Somebody stuffed up. Could it have been Steven Joyce?

See the list of schools here and the letter written to Steven Joyce and Anne Tolley from Internet NZ, Fed Farmers and TUANZ expressing concerns about it.

And see here and here for the reports written by Jonathan Brewer which exposed the issue. The map says it all.

Seems the broadband’s scheme’s full of cracks. Keen to know where the extra money’s going to come from to paper over these ones.

What’s next I wonder…

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Filed under: broadband, comms & IT
4 Comments

Twins

Posted by Trevor Mallard on May 23rd, 2011

twins

Filed under: broadband, comms & IT, humour
7 Comments

Joyce’s flip flop: it was his idea

Posted by Clare Curran on May 19th, 2011

Just so you know, it was Steven Joyce who dreamt up the replacement to his dumb regulatory holiday. Not the Maori Party. They forced the issue. Good on them for doing so.

The build up of pressure politically and from the industry was intense and it had finally got to them (the Maori Party). But the alternative was his idea. Yes it provides more transparency. That’s good. But he can’t quantify the Crown’s liability of his new provision. As usual he says trust me I know what I’m doing.

I’m not sure he does.

Its interesting that some media coverage of Steven Joyce’s massive flip flop or backdown in ditching his precious regulatory holiday in favour of a last minute contractural provision which allowed the Commerce Commission to recommend price regulation seems to think the Maor Party came up with the concept.

I don’t think so.

Simon Hendery of Tech Day has described the the Government’s flip-flop over the “forbearance” – or regulatory holiday – provisions of its telecommunications reform bill as the latest farce in what has been a shambolic legislative process. He’s right.

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Filed under: broadband, comms & IT
6 Comments

Joyce the new Muldoon?

Posted by Trevor Mallard on May 19th, 2011

In a stupid move to get Maori Party support for his UFB legislation Steven Joyce has underwritten Telecom.

As technology changes over the next decade and cheaper alternatives become available Joyce has agreed to the taxpayer covering the difference for Telecom.

Talk about heads they win and tails they can’t lose.

This sort of subsidy hasn’t been seen since Think Big.

I will be very interested to see how this new fiscal risk is accounted for in today’s budget. It is an unspecified fiscal risk and because the decision was announced yesterday there is an obligation to include it in the budget documentation.

Looking for the rapidly applied yellow stickys.

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Filed under: broadband
12 Comments

Play of the Day – Curran nails the Minister for Telecom

Posted by Trevor Mallard on May 18th, 2011

For those without broadband, the Hansard is below: (more…)

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Filed under: broadband
8 Comments

Joyce’s backdown all about certainty: to Telecom?

Posted by Clare Curran on May 18th, 2011

Steven Joyce has made his first really big stuff up.

He’s been forced to ditch the central element of his controversial anti-competitive Telco Bill. A 10 year regulatory holiday for the winner bidder of his $1.5 billion broadband scheme. 

He’s had to replace it with what appears to be an even worse stitched together last minute compromise that has been forced on him by the Maori Party.

The compromise allows the Commerce Commission to regulate pricing on fibre, but if the Commission believes prices should go lower at some point, then Steven Joyce says it’s the Government that should wear the risk, not the consumer. And he’s the one who gets to make the decision on whether to regulate.

Why would he ever agree to regulate if it’s going to cost the Crown? And what is the nature of the compensation being promised to the contractor rolling out broadband? He had no answer for this when I asked him in question time today.

This effectively insulates the contractor from any risk and sets a dangerous precedent in terms of the Commerce Commission’s ability to fairly regulate. And if you don’t believe it go and look at NBR’s story this afternoon about Telecom’s shares going up. Certainty for them. Not the Crown. Which represents you the taxpayers. So Telecom’s shareholders get certainty, but the public still doesn’t. Wonder if the Maori Party gets that.

And I wonder what the Maori Party are getting in return for rescuing National’s troubled broadband bill? Interesting that they exercised their muscle. I don’t think they realise just how anti-competitive and flawed the Bill is and how many more problems there are with it.

I’ll blog more about this later.

I also wonder how Craig Foss, the chair of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee feels about this deal. Pretty pissed off I reckon.

This policy is too important to be rushed through at the last minute via backroom political deals. It should have been dealt with through the select committee process with considered input from the industry, so everyone could examine it and create an enduring policy that works for the industry and consumers.

Instead Joyce looks stupid. His broadband scheme’s flaws are exposed and there’s more coming.

 Labour will examine closely the detail of this last minute policy change, but we remain opposed to the Bill.

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Filed under: broadband, comms & IT
8 Comments

So when’s the broadband decision Mr Joyce?

Posted by Clare Curran on May 17th, 2011

Now that Steven Joyce has his anti-competitive, price rising, monopoly-creating broadband Bill heading back to Parliament, a decision was widely tipped to be imminent on who was going to win the lucrative $1.35 billion contract to deliver the new network.

Labour opposes this Bill. We will repeal parts of it should we win government. And we’ll review the ultrafast broadband and rural broadband programmes.

Joyce had his ducks in a row.  He needed to get the Bill back to the House which he’s done. Next he has to announce who’s won the big contract. The choice is between Telecom and the coalition of lines companies.

That decision was expected before the Budget. But it hasn’t happened yet. And the Budget is on Thursday.

Joyce has pushed through his Bill despite almost unanimous opposition from the industry, consumer groups, Labour, the Greens and now Act parties.

He doesn’t know how to compromise. It’s his way or the highway.

So what’s happened to the plan? How are those numbers looking?

There’s a lot riding on this.

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Filed under: broadband
7 Comments

Telco Bill info now available

Posted by Clare Curran on May 16th, 2011

For those who are waiting to read the information provided to the Select Ctte on the Steven Joyce’s Telco Bill which gives the winning bidder for the $1.5 billion broadband scheme 10 free years from regulation on pricing and other services.

Labour opposes this.

Now you can find out why

Happy to take calls 04 817 9906

Email me clare.curran@parliament.govt.nz

Tweet me @clarecurranmp

Facebook me www.facebook.com/clarecurranmp

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Filed under: broadband, comms & IT
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