Computerworld

​Forget 2020, is rural internet stagnating in 2015?

“Yet again the regions are being neglected by National."

While National Party debates the rules for post 2020 telecommunication, it is dragging its heels on fixing the quality of internet connections right now in rural communities.

So says Labour’s ICT spokesperson Clare Curran, who points out that last week, Communications Minister Amy Adams “quietly revealed” that the second phase of the Rural Broadband scheme has been put off until after the ultrafast broadband second stage has been determined.

“That leaves most of rural New Zealand struggling with low speed broadband for the foreseeable future,” Curran claims. “Yet again the regions are being neglected by National.

“The review of the rules that govern our communication networks picks up on a number of matters Labour has been raising for several years, including how New Zealand will deal with the migration from the copper network to fibre.

“That’s good news but planning for the future shouldn’t come at the expense of the present. Amy Adams knows that the state of rural broadband is dire. It’s time to take action.”