Watchdog likely to have full schedule

By PETER GRIFFIN

Communications Minister Paul Swain expects the newly announced Telecommunications Commissioner, Douglas Webb, to hit the ground running when he starts in March.

"He'll be into it from day one," said the minister, who wanted the telecoms industry to "start on a fresh sheet of paper" with the commissioner's appointment and the introduction of the new Telecommunications Bill.

Mr Swain said the bill will receive its third and final reading next week and be passed before Christmas.

Mr Webb, a Washington-based New Zealander working as managing counsel at the World Bank, will take up the job in Wellington. The position is for five years.

Mr Webb brings international regulatory and telecoms experience to the role - and good knowledge of the industry players, who may well bring their commercial disputes before him.

As a senior partner at law firm Rudd Watts and Stone, Mr Webb negotiated an interconnect agreement for NZ Rail with Telecom and later represented the consortium of investors who banded together to form Clear Communications.

Mr Webb was yesterday on a World Bank mission to South Africa and unavailable for comment.

First on his "must-do" list is likely to be the interconnection dispute between Telecom and Clear, which drags on unresolved.

Mandatory mobile roaming, Telecom wholesaling issues and arguments over proposed number portability are likely to keep him well occupied.

Mr Swain said the Commerce Commission would act as the commissioner until March, providing the bill is passed before Parliament rises for the year.

A backlog of legislation may force the House to go into urgency, working right up until Christmas to clear the schedule.

Gaining numbers in the House to support the bill would not pose a problem, Mr Swain added.

His priority in the New Year would be getting the Electronic Transactions Bill and the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 6) passed.

Both had been expected to become law this year.