In order to improve productivity and support economic growth, the Government requires the telecommunications regulatory regime to keep up with changes in the telecommunications industry.

The Telecommunications Amendment Bill would make targeted amendments to the Telecommunications Act 2001 to:

• mandate and enforce membership of an industry dispute resolution scheme for telecommunications service providers which have annual retail revenue of over $50 million
• make permanent the rights of fibre providers to access shared property to install fibre, while maintaining protection mechanisms for affected persons
• create a new power to make secondary legislation to enable the telecommunications development levy to be set via an Order in Council, following the relevant Minister’s recommendation
• provide for the Commerce Commission to undertake roles given to it under the constitutions of three local fibre companies, depending on the Minister of Finance’s approval.

The bill would also make a number of technical amendments.

Tell the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Committee what you think

Make a submission on the bill by 11:59PM on 14 January 2026.

For more details about the bill:

• Read the full content of the bill
• Get more details about the bill
• What was said in the House during the debate on the bill’s first reading?

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