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A member of Te Huarahi Tika Maori spectrum trust says the government’s planned copper tax will hurt Maori internet use.
The Government intends to overturn the law that would require Chorus to significantly lower the cost of delivering internet broadband over the former Telecom copper telephone network.
A coalition of consumer and telecommunications organisations including Hautaki and its parent Te Huarahi Tika Maori spectrum trust say this amounts to a $600 million windfall to the company, on top of the $1 billion it is getting to build a fibre broadband network.
Antony Royal says the Government seems to be trying to keep the price of copper-based services high so people will transfer to fibre.
"From a Maori perspective particularly for those communities that cant afford to go on to fibre, keeping the price of copper higher means they are less likely to take up broadband at home and what we are arguing is that we should try and minimise the price of broadband so that many of our whanau can get access to it," says Antony Royal.
Copyright © 2013, UMA Broadcasting Ltd
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