Nationals better broadband vision
Posted April 22nd, 2008 by peterNational party leader John Key today announced that a National lead government would invest $1.5 billion in a fibre "ultra-fast" broadband network. The idea is to have fibre to 75% of New Zealanders.
Key says that in the first six years, priority will be given to businesses premises, schools, health facilities and then to the home.
When one considers that right now, our business internet speed is no faster (in fact slower upload speed) than in 1999 (nearly 10 years ago) when broadband first arrived in Nelson, it is pretty good news.
However when reading the announcement at a Wellington Chamber of Commerce function, it does raise a few questions for me. Will Nelson be in the 75% of the population? I don’t know, but suspect maybe we will be close to missing out.
Obviously the National party will have to be elected before we can even start dreaming about a decent internet speed for our businesses. Then there is a year of negotiations to be held before anything is done. One wonders if in the next 6 months everything in the current pipeline will now come to a screaming halt as Telecom and other industry players take a “wait and see” attitude.
When it does come, it would make sense that Network Tasman’s existing but currently unaffordable local fibre loop be the internet carrier in the Nelson region. Some of that promised money should then be used to get “fibre to the gate” immediately to those businesses, schools and health facilities that need/want it now. It (the money) could also be used to subsidise those users until the connected numbers make it a more viable proposition for Network Tasman and/or their resellers.
Whatever, the announcement is good for the country. Key is actually taking the initiative to get something done. Now we need the Labour government to copy the initiative so it will happen sooner, regardless who wins the elections this year.
Tags: broadband, fibre, internet speed, network tasman, telecom
Leave a Reply