United Wants Part Of Radio Spectrum Set Aside For Innovators

United New Zealand Party leader, Hon Peter Dunne, is calling on the Government to re-think the forthcoming high-frequency radio spectrum auction.

He says the Government should use the auction to provide greater opportunity for voluntary groups, as well as providing more ready access to a resource which could foster high-tech innovation.

“United believes we must be be far more vigorous in seizing on opportunities for aiding voluntary organisations and promoting high-tech innovation.”

“We see merit in allocating a percentage of this segment of spectrum to community organisations which would obviously benefit from having access to a low-cost high speed information service,” he says.

Mr Dunne says some of the spectrum could also be used by educational foundations to foster developments in communications technology.

“After all, international companies such as Macintosh and Yahoo started from students tinkering with ideas in garages.”

“Consequently, the Government should be more disposed to giving a hand up to the back room inventor and finding new ways of tapping into Kiwi skills and ingenuity, and that is why United believes there is a case for setting aside a portion of the spectrum to be a toll-free highway for Kiwi tinkerers and inventors,” Mr Dunne says.

ENDS
New Zealand’s Liberal Party

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