September 05, 2013
Spectrum auction confiscation of taonga
A Maori spectrum claimant says the Government’s decision to go ahead with an auction of 4G spectrum is a confiscation.
Communications Minister Amy Adams has told the Waitangi Tribunal that the auction of management rights for 700 megahertz spectrum, which is needed for the next generation of mobile data networks, will start on October 29.
A reserve price of $22 million has been set for each of the nine lots of 5 megahertz pairs, and successful bidders have five years to pay.
Professor Whatarangi Winiata from the New Zealand Maori Council says claimants are still waiting to hear whether the Waitangi Tribunal will grant an urgent hearing.
He says the tribunal has already found that radio spectrum is a taonga, and the auction is a blatant act of bad faith.
"It doesn’t matter when they do it, it’s still confiscation, and they’re ignoring the seriousness of what it is they are doing and they are building a liability for themselves. The case I think will ultimately be argued as a confiscation," Professor Winiata says.
The Government expects use of the spectrum will result in at least $2.4 billion in economic benefit to the country over the next 20 years.
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