The government has begun the process of recruiting a Telecommunications Commissioner.

Communications Minister Paul Swain said advertisements for the position will appear both in New Zealand and overseas in the next few days.

"The closing date for applications will be 8 June," he said.

“We are looking for a person who can earn the respect of the telecommunications industry and generally be seen as impartial and fair.

“We want someone with a strong commercial orientation plus good understanding of competitive markets and an understanding of the critical issues faced by the telecommunications industry.

“The Telecommunications Commissioner will be an additional Commissioner within the Commerce Commission and will take particular responsibility for administering the new telecommunications legislation," Paul Swain said.

The Commission is also expected to employ extra staff to assist with the new telecommunications work.

The appointment of the Commissioner will be finalised when the telecommunications legislation is passed, which is expected to be in late September.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>