 
Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus
join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
 ·Qwest.net
| Wow Talk about a story that illustrates how a one pony show treats it's customers. All of these customers waiting., and they have to wait because there is no reason for NZ Telcom to move they are the only game in town so they can make all of the excuses they want and there isn't much that the customer can do about.
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The older I get the more I prefer the company of my dogs over that of man kind. | |
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kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY
 ·T-Mobile US
1 edit | Re: Wow said by Transmaster  :Talk about a story that illustrates how a one pony show treats it's customers. All of these customers waiting., and they have to wait because there is no reason for NZ Telcom to move they are the only game in town so they can make all of the excuses they want and there isn't much that the customer can do about. This story also reminds me why we should avoid gov-granted cable monopolies or state-wide franchises at all cost.  | |
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pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD
 ·Comcast
| Re: Wow said by kamm :This story also reminds me why we should avoid gov-granted cable monopolies or state-wide franchises at all cost. The situation in NZ, along with the example you cite in your other post about your former country, are prime examples of what happens when the government has too much control of the infrastructure. In the USA we have backwards-thinking jurisdictions which have nothing better to do than throw up legal roadblocks against privately operated broadband services. In all of these situations (including your example of the illegal exclusive cable franchises imposed by most local governments), it is the government that is holding back progress by being too restrictive.
In places like Texas and Oklahoma, in which either statewide franchises were passed, or other restrictions on telephone companies were eased, there has been increased broadband deployments.
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Tancredo 2008! | |
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kamm
join:2001-02-14
Brooklyn, NY
·T-Mobile US
2 edits | Re: Wow said by pnh102 :said by kamm :This story also reminds me why we should avoid gov-granted cable monopolies or state-wide franchises at all cost. The situation in NZ, along with the example you cite in your other post about your former country, are prime examples of what happens when the government has too much control of the infrastructure. In the USA we have backwards-thinking jurisdictions which have nothing better to do than throw up legal roadblocks against privately operated broadband services. In all of these situations (including your example of the illegal exclusive cable franchises imposed by most local governments), it is the government that is holding back progress by being too restrictive. Your idea about less governmental influence on actual deployment is right; however the idea about zero gov influence on the market is definitively wrong.
The government's role is to regulate free market forces by such a way that customers get the best out of the competition.
In other words any kind of dedicated monopoly is just as *bad* as a direct governmental influence on the market.
In places like Texas and Oklahoma, in which either statewide franchises were passed, or other restrictions on telephone companies were eased, there has been increased broadband deployments.
Actually statewide franchise is a *direct governmental influence*, a granted monopoly which is *bad*.
The outcome, however, can be vary on short term but it'll be almost certainly bad on the long term, due to the lack of competition. | |
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madmatt5
join:2002-04-06
Citrus Heights, CA
1 edit | Re: Wow The Kiwi's are hardly hurting for broadband. Local loop unbundling is coming to NZ very soon and everyone there knows it. This is just politics - the little guys are holding the big, bad telco's feet to the fire to make sure this actually occurs. Making Telecom look incompetent when competition is right around the corner is icing on the cake as well as a smart business play.
Interesting that folks seem to assumes Telecom NZ is a government owned telco. Actually, it was privatized 16 years ago. Competition has been slow to come to NZ but a lot of that has to do with geography and demographics. It's the size of Colorado but strung out across 2 mountainous islands totaling over 1000 miles in length; Besides one major city and 1/2 dozen smaller ones, a lot of the population is VERY rural. I think using government funds to encourage broadband deployment in outlying areas could be a worthwhile endeavour in NZ, if done properly.
The article focuses on Auckland, the only large (1.1 Million residents) city in the country and, ironically, one of the few places that already has some competition going in the broadband arena. For example, any Aucklander with LOS to the SkyTower (think Seattle Space Needle) can get 2Mbps wireless internet access for a somewhat steep $100 USD per month. Also, Auckland was one of the first Wi-Fi cities - the entire downtown area is covered by a 2 year old pay to play wireless mesh network.
IMHO - NZ's real internet problem is the pesky caps on international data transfers. NZ's competitiveness will continue to be hurt until they get fatter, cheaper pipes to the rest of the world. | |
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calvoiper
join:2003-03-31
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
| Re: Six months? Reminds me... Reminds me of the NYC six-month waits for basic phone service from NY Tel in the '60's and '70's--Little Ivan's pole climbing days, if he ever had any. NYT became NYNEX became BellAtlantic became Verizon--and now they are waiting for FIOS....
calvoiper
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VoIP--the death knell of remaining voice monopolies! | |
| | Kiwi
Premium
join:2003-05-26
USA
·Comcast
·Aristotle Internet
| Old Kiwi »www.wordworx.co.nz/Telecommhist.html
"New Zealand's first phone office opened in Port Chalmers in 1879. The first exchange in Christchurch in 1881 had 30 subscribers. Auckland followed suit with 10 subscribers"
"Talking to the world On November 25th 1930 the minister of Native Affairs Sir Apirana Ngata had a chat with Australia's acting prime minister Mr Fenton, marking our first international toll call. A year later we connected to Britain - a call cost six pounds 15 shillings and there were only 312 calls in the first year. By 1939 the rates had reduced and 3,457 calls were recorded to the old country. In 1930 The NZ Post Office had 125,000 customers that had nearly tripled by 1950. By 1960 subscribers rocketed to 686,021."
"Our telecommunications market was the first in the world to totally deregulate in 1988."
It's possible the pricing scheme could do with an overhaul, charging by bandwidth use is rather expensive and inhibiting. | |
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New Zealand Has Six Month Wait For Consumers
