As part of its ongoing review of telecoms legislation, New Zealand’s government has launched a consultation seeking views on how to regulate the industry post 2020.
Issued by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the discussion paper highlights several challenges facing lawmakers, the biggest of which sits at the heart of the government’s review: the Telecommunications Act 2001 was designed for a different era.
"Digital convergence, new technology and innovation are transforming the way we live, work and do business, and communication networks have come a long way since the Telecommunications Act was passed in 2001," said communications minister Amy Adams, in a statement on Tuesday. "This review is a critical step in ensuring we have a regulatory regime which supports growth, investment and innovation in these sectors into the future."
The Ministry insisted there is still a need for regulation – particularly in the areas of access to networks and pricing – in order to safeguard competition, but admitted that the way in which regulation is administered requires change.
The consultation paper notes that the current rules predate convergent services, and are at risk of becoming less effective or even counter-productive as the industry pushes ahead with triple-play and quad-play.
The Ministry suggests also that regulation needs to be flexible in order to keep up with the pace of change so that new business models and areas of competition can flourish.
This is especially important when it comes to Web-based services, where the Ministry concedes that it is becoming more difficult to identify who or what to regulate.
The consultation also seeks input on how to create a predictable regulatory environment that encourages investment, particularly in fixed networks, and how to mainta in competition in the mobile market.
"I encourage industry, consumers and stakeholders to have their say in this discussion so we can develop a regime that can keep up with the pace of change in communications and meets the needs of both consumers and businesses for the long term," said Adams.
Interested parties have until 27 October to respond to the consultation.
