BLOG: small minded Politicians at their Worst
I am sick and tired of small minded politicians whose pursuit of a headline gets in the way of the best policies for New Zealand. Earlier this week, John Key announced a National government would invest $1.5 billion in rolling out broadband to every New Zealand home. Everywhere I go, people grizzle to me about how slow our broadband is, or about the fact they are still using dial-up internet. Why can’t we have a decent broadband service, they ask? Yet when John Key announces a plan, the response from Labour, New Zealand First, and Act is universal and total criticism. Yes, Key’s plan is potentially a massive subsidy to Telecom as the network operator. Yes, they have exploited their monopoly to the limit over the years. Yes, maybe this is type of infrastructural investment is best left to the private sector. They might all be legitimate criticisms of the Key proposal. But nowhere have I heard any of the critics put an alternative idea of how to roll out broadband nationwide in a timely and efficient manner. And nowhere have I seen any signs of interest from the private sector... Read the full text of this blog post.
