Kiwiblog

TUANZ announced:

TUANZ is pleased to announce that Paul Brislen has accepted the role of Chief Executive, starting in the new year.

Paul has been both an observer and participant in the telco sector for the past decade, first as a journalist and commentator and lately as the corporate communications manager at Vodafone New Zealand.

“We’re delighted to welcome Paul in as the new Chief Executive. He’s got a wealth of experience in the telecommunications sector and has long been a champion of the user. He’s got a long history with TUANZ, having contributed a chapter to the ‘Survival of the Fastest’ and the ‘Broadband Reloaded’ blueprint for the digital era,” says TUANZ Chair, Pat O’Connell.

Paul says he’s looking forward to the challenge.

“Telecommunications is vitally important to New Zealand’s economic development and I’m relishing the opportunity to do what I can to help the industry along. It’s a vibrant, dynamic, exciting industry and I’m looking forward to jumping in with both feet.”

This is a superb appointment. Paul as a former Computerworld editor was a great champion of the consumer, and a polished performer on TV etc.

Paul is also of the nicest guys around, and will be able to advocate for TUANZ very effectively, and be able to work with those whose views may diverge from his.

The TUANZ Board have done well to lure Paul away from Vodafone, and I think TUANZ will proper under Paul’s leadership.

On a private note, I am looking forward to hearing Paul submit on the merits of mobile termination rate regulation

Tags: Paul Brislen, TUANZ

Having been on a plane most of today, I got off to see the Google Mail previews show me the subject lines of e-mails, including one from Clare Curran saying Labour pays tribute to Ernie Newman.

I thought to myself – hell either Ernie is dead, or he has resigned.

Upon being able to actually read the e-mail in full, I am glad to find out it was not the former scenario

Most New Zealanders are far better off for the efforts put in by Ernie and TUANZ. His last great battle and success was on mobile termination rates.

I’ve enjoyed working with Ernie over the years, and TUANZ will find it difficult to secure a replacement with his profile and skills.

I would wish Ernie well in his retirement, but I am sure that is the last thing on his mind.

Computerworld has a nice summary of reaction.

Tags: Ernie Newman, TUANZ

I’m very very happy with today’s announcement from Steven Joyce:

Communications and Information Technology Minister Hon Steven Joyce today released the details of the government’s $1.5 billion ultra-fast broadband investment initiative. …

Key highlights of the proposal include:

• An open, transparent partner selection process, which will be initiated in the next month.




• Government investment directed to an open access, wholesale-only, passive fibre network infrastructure.




• A new Crown-owned investment company (“Crown Fibre Holdings”), which will be operational by October, to carry out the government’s partner selection process and manage the government’s investment in fibre networks.




• Crown Fibre Holdings and each partner establishing a commercial vehicle, a “Local Fibre Company” (LFC), to deploy fibre network infrastructure and provide access to dark fibre products and, optionally, certain active wholesale Layer 2 services.




• Provision for national and regionally-focused proposals, as well as consortium and proposals aggregating any combination of LFC regions.




• Independence, equivalence and transparency requirements for LFCs.




• Expansion to 33 candidate coverage areas based on the largest urban areas (by population in 2021).

What is really good is the commitment to open access to dark fibre, and the regional approach to the issue. The Government has held firm to most of their draft proposal, with the main change being an increase in the number of coverage areas to 33.

Computerworld reports on positive reaction:

“This ushers in the biggest and most fundamental change to telecommunications in New Zealand since the privatisation of Telecom 20 years ago,” TUANZ CEO Ernie Newman said in reaction to the news.

“The paper builds very constructively on the work done previously,” Newman says. “It takes into account most of the key issues raised in submissions, and sets a timetable with milestones. It is an excellent blueprint on which to build.” …

InternetNZ also welcomed the plan, saying it is “delighted” with today’s announcement of a regionally-based approach to investment.

“This is a world-leading programme that can be expected to deliver the infrastructure New Zealand needs,” spokesperson Jordan Carter says.

“Steven Joyce and the Government have put in place a framework that over time can deliver a widespread fibre rollout across urban New Zealand.”

Those unsure about the benefits of ultra-fast broadband, might want to read the guest post from Rod Drury earlier this week.

Chris Keall (and Kelly Gregor) at NBR cover the proposal in detail. Keall highlights a new focus:

In the proposal document released today, the minister also flags that “The capacity and reliability of New Zealand’s international data connectivity will become increasingly important as LFCs’ [local fibre companies'] networks are deployed over the course of the UFB Initiative.”

The Commerce Commission recently identified slow international data as a roadblock to better domestic broadband performance, with testings showing that overseas pages take twice as long to load as those hosted locally – even with our current copper-dominated networks.

International bandwidth and data costs are often cited as a big issue also.

In a fit of good timing, Juha Saarinen has an article in Computeworld on dark fibre, and how you basically can not get it from Telecom or TelstraClear. Have a look at this price comparison and weep:

James Watts, who runs Palmerston North-based ISP Inspire Net, says the reason dark fibre is attractive to his customers is because they can “do whatever the hell they want with it.” Inspire currently charges $595 and $995 for intra-town dark fibre pair leases, depending on contract terms, and double that for inter-town unlit circuits.

To light the circuits, Watts says his company sells Gigabit Ethernet transceivers for $140 each.

A similar 1Gbit/s circuit from Telecom apparently costs $7000 a month, plus installation charges.It’s $69k a year according to Telecom’s pricing book.

Finally a focus on the issue of fibre providers being discouraged from also operating retail telecommunication services, both here and in Australia. Steven Joyce said in a Q&A:

Will Telecom have to structurally separate its network business to participate?

Any such decisions are up to Telecom.  The Government has made it clear that it will only invest money into fibre companies that are not controlled by shareholders who also operate retail telecommunication businesses.  The Government is also clear that potential partners who already own fibre assets can table options that involve those fibre assets being vended into any new fibre companies.

Preventing vertically integrated monopolies is crucial. This basically means Telecom can not be a majority shareholder in any regional fibre company unless they structurally separate (ie sell off Chorus). They can have a minority stake however.

In Australia, the Government has done similiar:

The government could also deny Telstra access to new spectrum for advanced wireless broadband unless the telco sells off its cable network and 50 per cent stake in Foxtel (25 per cent owned by News Corporation, owner of The Australian)

If you want to be part of the future, you need to be separated.

For those who think separation is not a big issue, think what it would be like if Air New Zealand owned the airports and could set access terms for other airlines. Or if Ford owned the roads and set the rules for what other cars could drive on them, and for how much.

So as I said, very pleased with the announcements today, and now working my way through the details.

Tags: broadband, Chris Keall, Ernie Newman, fibre, Inspire Net, InternetNZ, James Watts, Jordan Carter, Juha Saarinen, Operational Separation, Steven Joyce, structural separation, Telecom, Telstra, Telstra-Clear, TUANZ

Six major ICT groups have put out a statement slamming the new copyright law as deeply flawed and unworkable. The six groups are:

1. InternetNZ
2. Telecommunications Carriers Forum
3. TUANZ
4. Internet Service Providers Association of New Zealand
5. NZ Computer Society
6. Women in Technology

There has never previously been an issue that those groups have joined forces on.

This law was passed last year. I think every party but the Greens voted for it, and it is just a shambles. Even worse the clause that is causing many of the problems was deleted by the Select Committee (I was one of those who sucessfully lobbied for it to be removed) and it was put back in by the Government (but voted for by most parties) at the last minute during the Committee of the House stage.

It is s92A causing the nightmares. It states:

An Internet service provider must adopt and reasonably implement a policy that provides for termination, in appropriate circumstances, of the account with that Internet service provider of a repeat infringer.

Now what the hell does that mean? Some in the IP industry are saying it means that an ISP must permanently terminate a user from the Internet upon receipt of three complaints alleging copyright infringement.

Note just alleged infringements. Not that you must terminate someone only after they have been found guilty in court.

You could do a parody of an advertisement, and argue that this qualifies as fair use (as permitted under law). If the advertiser disagrees and complains you are on the way to being kicked off the Internet.

Upload to You Tube a video of yourself with the radio on in the background, and you may have infringed copyright of the song on radio, and bang there goes your Internet access.

Don’t believe me. Here’s the NZ Computer Society Chief Executive:

NZCS generally steers clear of criticising laws, however in the case of Section 92a of the new Copyright (New Technologies) Amendment Bill we, like most others in the sector, have to make an exception.

In fact the problem is so large the entire ICT and Telecomms sector is now up in arms about it.

Now let’s get one thing clear. Copyright owners absolutely have the right to protect their intellectual property, and NZCS and others are not for one second saying otherwise. To state it clearly: Copyright violation is a major problem, and we support moves to reduce it.

However to trample all over the rights of computer and internet users, and to place ISPs in the position of potentially having to be the policeman, judge, jury and executioner in what are often vague and unclear situations is completely unreasonable.

This is actually eerily similar to a situation where a power company would be forced to have a policy stating that they must cut the power off to a house, business, school or library (yes, they’re included) if someone on the property used that electricity to do something illegal. I can’t imagine that situation receiving a good reception, so why is this any different?

And here is Ernie Newman from TUANZ:

Few people would disagree that the musicians and others who own copyright to digital content are entitled to have their legitimate interests protected. But a workable balance has to be found between the interests of copyright owners, and those of legitimate Internet users and Internet Service Providers.

Yet for that kind of balance, this Act scores zero out of ten on the NCEA scale. …

I’m struggling to remember a more imprecise piece of legislation. This is just abrogation of parliament’s responsibility.

So what can be done?

Well the good news is the law has not yet come into force. The Government can bring it into force by an Order in Council. I understand they are planning to do this in October.

Lobby Ministers and MPs to have Cabinet delay that section. They can trigger the rest of the new Act, but leave that section delayed to give the Internet industries and Rights Holders tme to come up with a Code of Practice which will give some certainity to how that section should operate.

So if you don’t want to see an unworkable, deeply flawed law come into force next month, start e-mailing or contacting MPs. Otherwise you may find that those three videos you uploaded to You Tube have got you kicked off the Internet, or at leats your ISP.

Tags: copyright, InternetNZ, ISPANZ, NZCS, TCF, TUANZ

Am spending all day at TUANZ’s Telecommunications Day 2008. Heard from all the Telco CEOs in the morning and now the Minister is speaking.

He said the aspiration is to have Fibre to the Home within a decade, which means by 2018. That means both major parties are saying they want fibre to the home with National targeting 2014 and Labour 2018. I personally am not too worried about the time-frames (2014 is very ambitious) so long as there is a co-ordinated plan with open access policies.

There was no funding announcement today, as many expected. But he did say a package will be announced in the near future. There will be great interest in that package – both the funding but also the policy. He was very critical of National’s proposal, so again the details of the Government’s proposals will be interesting.

Tags: broadband, David Cunliffe, fibre, TUANZ