Stephen Fry just saying what we all think

Actor Stephen Fry should be congratulated for putting the cat among the pigeons at the same time this country’s leading stakeholders are meeting to discuss the future of ‘high speed’ broadband in New Zealand, Labour’s Communications and IT spokesperson Clare Curran says.

“It will be interesting to see if the state of the nation's broadband finally gets some attention following Mr Fry’s comments, which include such gems as ‘probably the worst broadband I’ve ever encountered’, ‘pathetic’ and ‘Come on New Zealand, you’re world champions at rugby and film making…pressure the providers to stop it being a digital embarrassment’.

“Stephen Fry is only saying what most people think. The trouble is most people believe there’s nothing they can do about it,” Clare Curran said.

She said most of the participants at the Commerce Commission’s Future Broadband conference, being held in Auckland, were right behind the English actor.

“Unfortunately nothing is likely to change any time soon. Despite $1.5 billion of taxpayers’ money being poured into an ultrafast broadband scheme, the rollout is being undertaken by Telecom, the telco monopoly that was responsible for holding back development in the first place.

“It appears highly likely that the people who will get ultrafast broadband first will be those who are most able to afford it,” Clare Curran said.

“National’s much-lauded broadband network is not what it would have us believe, and it is ridiculous that it is has taken someone like Stephen Fry to highlight the fact.

“Still, perhaps that’s a good thing if that’s what it takes for the Government to finally get off its backside and sort it out,” Clare Curran said.