Time for broadband to hit the trenches and the airwaves

With the Government today shortlisting Torotoro Waea, FX Networks/OpenGate and Telecom/Vodafone for the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), Federated Farmers is laying down its bottom line for what the Initiative should deliver (see attached).

“Federated Farmers is pleased to see the shortlist, but remains concerned at the lack of real ambition, and the underfunding relative to the urban shortlist announced yesterday,” says Donald Aubrey, Federated Farmers Telecommunications spokesperson.

“Federated Farmers’ bottom line is pretty simple. Of the one million Kiwis deemed rural, we want the greatest number possible to get the fastest broadband speeds as quickly as possible, as efficiently as possible and as cheap as possible.

“Federated Farmers is passionate about rural broadband, which is critical to all New Zealanders.

“Look at it like this. One million Kiwis in rural New Zealand produce 66 percent of our exports and provide the heart of our multi-billion dollar tourism industry, yet it’s the urban scheme that’s getting as much as 20 to 100 times more speed.

“We don’t begrudge that but we need to make sure that we future proof rural New Zealand as well. The one thing we don’t want to export from our rural areas is our next generation.

“Ultrafast rural broadband means more productivity and social connectedness. Rural people are people too. And we know that many of our city cousins would be interested in living in rural New Zealand if they too could get the speeds expected in the city.

“It’s great to see the shortlist, as Federated Farmers worked damn hard to successfully lift the RBI spend from a paltry $48 million to $300 million.

“The Government now needs to quickly get through the tender process to the best possible outcome. Then we want to see the fibre hit the trenches and the wireless broadband over the airwaves,” Mr Aubrey concluded.

ENDS

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