Cunliffe hopes to speed up better internet service

David Cunliffe

Communications Minister David Cunliffe yesterday introduced hope that New Zealand could benefit from better internet services sooner than expected.

Cunliffe told attendees at the seventh annual TelCon conference in Auckland that the Commerce Commission would will work on how the services outlined in the Government's telecommunications legislation - the unbundling of the local loop - would be implemented while the bill works its way through Parliament.

That is a deviation from the previously expected plan, which meant the commission would have waited until the legislation had passed, likely by early 2007. The commission would then set terms and prices.

"The commission will work concurrently rather than sequentially," Cunliffe said.

Cunliffe previously warned that consumers might not see any real benefits until 2008. If the commission finishes its pricing work at the same time as the legislation enaction, the new broadband services could be ready to go by the end of the year.

He has told the select committee considering the legislation to speed up its process, and he expects the bill to be made into law by the end of the year.

The commission will work on setting terms and prices for the services named in the bill, introduced on Monday. These include unconstrained wholesale broadband, the separation of phone and internet services, and unbundled local loop provision.

Cunliffe also encouraged the suggestion put forward by Telecom, that the industry set up working groups to discuss how best to implement the regulated services.