Government dragging its heels with Kiwi internet problems

The Labour Party is claiming the National Government is 'dragging its heels' in regards to fixing the quality of New Zealand's internet connections in rural communities.

"Last week the Minister quietly revealed that the second phase of the Rural Broadband scheme has been put off until after the ultrafast broadband second stage has been determined," says Labour's ICT spokesperson Clare Curran.

"That leaves most of rural New Zealand struggling with low speed broadband for the foreseeable future.

"Yet again the regions are being neglected by National," she says.

"The review of the rules that govern our communication networks picks up on a number of matters Labour has been raising for several years, including how New Zealand will deal with the migration from the copper network to fibre," Curran explains.

Curran says that while that's good news, planning for the future shouldn't come at the expense of the present.

"Amy Adams knows that the state of rural broadband is dire. It's time to take action," she says.