The government needs to be upfront about its fibre investment TUANZ CEO Ernie Newman told delegates at the Conferenz Telecommunications and ICT Summit today. He says the establishment of regional fibre networks, the advanced KAREN network and the Government Shared Networks may have created a false expectation of central government investment and that greater clarity is needed.
“Minister Cunliffe has already made it clear, rightly, that the government has no intention of contributing to investments that Telecom or others should be expected to make in the normal course of business. However, the Broadband Challenge that forms a part of the Digital Strategy has already opened the government’s coffers to contribute to the development of regional fibre networks. How much more central government funding will be applied to such networks is an open question.”
He noted that when the government gets out its cheque book private enterprise tends to put its wallet away so it’s essential that they declare their hand – and fast.
Newman also suggested that the government’s Digital Strategy – which is set to be ‘refreshed’ following a summit in October – should be a given a government agency of its own.
“It should come directly under the auspices of the Prime Minister so as to neutralize the vested interests, career concerns and fiefdoms that inevitably get tin the way of any cross-agency initiative,” he says.
A full copy of Newman’s speech can be found here.