Govt: Negative copper pricing comments no surprise

Public comments from some parliamentary parties that they will not be supporting legislation in regards to copper pricing is not unexpected, according to an unsurprised Amy Adams.

While the Communications and Information Technology Minister insists the government has not sought support for legislation from support parties, Adams admits hat legislation was always going to be a challenge.

In the build up to the announcement, Adams insists the government had been considering a number of possible non-legislative options for "some time."

“Since the Commerce Commission’s decision was announced the government’s approach has been consistently that the first priority is for Chorus to meet the shortfall itself," says Adams, before Chorus launched a High Court appeal over the copper pricing this week.

“If this is not possible the government would look at other non-legislative options as a first choice. Nothing in today’s public comments from some parliamentary parties changes that."

Adams maintains that the government’s primary concern is to ensure that New Zealanders get access to ultra-fast broadband, "because that is what is in the long-term interests of New Zealand."

“In order to properly assess the range of options, the government has commissioned independent advice about Chorus’ financial position and its capability to deliver on its contractual obligations with the government," Adams adds.

“This report is about ensuring that the government and the wider community have good information about whether Chorus’ financial position would seriously undermine and threaten New Zealanders’ ability to get ultra-fast broadband.

“Once the government has received the independent report, it will then be able to look at next steps.

“The Government has always said that there are a number of options on the table so it is important that we have some factual information before further decisions are made.”