New Zealand going nowhere ultra-fast

National's flagship ultra-fast broadband service is delivering nothing as New Zealand languishes half way down the OECD ladder for broadband subscribers, says Labour’s communications spokesperson Clare Curran.

"National is spending over $1 billion on ultra-fast broadband but our take-up hasn't improved. New figures today show we are at stuck at 17th in the OECD despite National making ultra-fast broadband a flagship programme. We are going nowhere ultra-fast.

“The communications minister Amy Adams has told us, ‘New Zealanders are hungry for faster internet speeds and are excited about the opportunities for innovation that it will bring’.

“But ultra-fast broadband is a scheme nobody seems to want. There’s barely a thousand people signed up so far and Orcon have even offered to pay your bills for the rest of the year in a bid to sign-up customers.

“In the four years since they launched this policy the government has racked up less than a customer a day. That’s ultra-slow.”