In May 2018 Whangarei journalist Clare Swinney wrote to the Clare Curran, who was then Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media. The topic of her letter was the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill. She recently received a reply from the new Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Hon Kris Faafoi.
Among other things, the letter states that Chorus will not be able to withdraw the copper landlines in the rural areas of NZ, where the government does not plan to install fibre.
As it stands, the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill still allows for the piecemeal destruction of the copper landline phone system in New Zealand towns and cities that have fibre which is bad for consumers who value the benefits of the copper landline system, a step backwards for health and safety and undemocratic, considering how public support for retaining the copper landline system was essentially ignored by the committee considering the bill.
Nonetheless the letter from the responsible Minister provides some level of reassurance to rural New Zealanders who put a particularly high value on the copper landlines phone system
You may read the letter from the Hon Kris Faafoi by downloading the PDF at the link below:
Letter from Kris Faafoi to Clare Swinney 19092018171124-0001
About Save Our Landlines NZ:
This website is being developed by New Zealanders who want to see the copper landline network in NZ to be retained and protected. If you value having a corded landline phone that will work even if you home (and the area in which you live) loses electricity, you are very welcome to join us.
To get updates on this issue, please follow our Facebook page at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/
If you would like to help in any way with the campaign to save NZ’s copper landline network, please email us through the contact form below.