Feedback sought on proposed variation to Telecom's Operational Separation Undertakings
The Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Steven Joyce, is seeking feedback on Telecom's 25 March 2011 request for a proposed variation to Telecom’s Operational Separation Undertakings.

Telecom has requested the variation to clarify how certain services Telecom would supply under the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), if it is chosen as the successful bidder, would be treated for the purposes of non-discrimination rules in the Undertakings.

These services would be subsidised by the Government under the RBI and offered, in the first instance, to priority users such as schools and hospitals.

Telecom has proposed that the Undertakings be amended to ensure that the provision of these subsidised services under the RBI will not be a breach of the non-discrimination rules.

This issue needs to be quickly resolved in order to maintain progress on the Government’s rural broadband initiative.

For this reason I am asking for submissions from interested parties on whether the proposed variation meets the purposes of operational separation as set out in Part 2A of the Telecommunications Act.

The variation proposal is available at http://www.med.govt.nz/operational-separation

Submissions close at 5.00 pm on 5 April 2011.