Please take action TODAY against the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Bill which has passed its second reading.
Save Our Landlines NZ’s position is that the bill should be withdrawn and redrafted so that it PROTECTS NZers access to the copper phone line network.
According to the new Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, the Hon. Kris Faafoi, the copper landlines in rural NZ are safe, but the copper landlines system in NZ towns and cities are still threatened by the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill.
The Save Our Landlines NZ campaign therefore asks all supporters to lobby MPs and party leaders against the bill by taking the following steps:
1. Visiting party leader’s FB pages and leaving polite messages and/or comments asking them to withdraw their party’s support for the bill unless the bill is reformed to protect NZer’s access to the copper phone system. (Details of FB pages and suggested messages are below.)
2. Emailing party leaders and your local MP with a polite email asking them to withdraw their party’s support for the bill unless the bill is reformed to protect NZer’s access to the copper phone system. (Details of how to access email addresses and a template letter you can adapt for your own use are below.)
Details for Facebook pages for NZ party leaders:
https://www.facebook.com/jacindaardern/
https://www.facebook.com/winstonpeters/
https://www.facebook.com/JamesShawMP/
https://www.facebook.com/maramadavidsonmp/
https://www.facebook.com/simonjbridges/
Suggested information you can use when sending a FB message or leaving a comment:
1) The copper landline phone network allows people to have a safe corded phone and hardwired internet access.
2) Corded copper landline phones will usually work when a house has lost power so are important in emergencies.
3) Removal of copper was opposed by the vast majority of NZers who made submissions on the bill; it is undemocratic for the government to have essentially ignored this feedback.
4) Keeping the copper supports consumer choice and frees up the fibre bandwidth for those people and businesses that actually need really fast internet.
5) Spark wants to move low data internet customers to fixed wireless broadband (and deny them access to fibre – https://www.computerworld.co.nz/…/spark-abandon-copper-fib…/ ) even though this would mean further proliferation of cellular phone towers. and increased health risks including potentially increased risk of cancer (see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21741680 ) for people living close to this infrastructure.
Thank you for your support on this issue.
NB: If you have time, please make multiple postings of individual points on the comments on Facebook pages that allow members of the public to do this. Doing so will increase the visibility of this topic to leaders’ staff and also alert other New Zealanders about the implications of this bill which has had little mainstream media coverage.
Information to help you email MPs and party leaders
You will be able to find email addresses for New Zealand MPs at this link: http://haveyoursay.nz/#/
Could you please email your local MP and also email our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, leaders of the Green Party Marama Davidson and James Shaw and the leader of the National Party Simon Bridges and ask them to withdraw their party’s support for the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Bill unless it is reformed to PROTECT NZers access to the copper landline phone system.
You will be able to find email addresses at this link: http://haveyoursay.nz/#/
If you would like a template letter that you could adapt for your own use, you could use the one at this link:
Thank you very much for your support on this issue.
Please join us
Your voice in defence of New Zealand’s copper landline network and your taking the time to help educate others about the importance of this important national infrastructure would be most appreciated.
If you would like to help with the campaign you may contact us via our COntact Form which you can reach by clicking HERE.
If you would like to sign a petition to show your support for saving NZ’s copper landline phone system, you can access a petition at the link below: https://saveourlandlines.nz/news/save-our-landlines-nz-launches-petition/
We have a Facebook page that you are welcome to life and follow it is https://www.facebook.com/Save-Our-Landlines-NZ-1626155717464225/