Ardern Shane: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Ardern Shane: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:673;Page:19674] 
4. 
SHANE ARDERN (National—Taranaki - King Country) 
 to the  
Minister for Communications and Information Technology 
: What has been the reaction of regional stakeholders to the rural broadband scheme? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Communications and Information Technology) 
: 
 Staff from the Ministry of Economic Development have been travelling up and down the country informing rural communities about how the Rural Broadband Initiative will benefit them. Throughout the country they have received extremely positive feedback as people understand the exciting potential that faster broadband can bring to their communities. For example the  
Timaru Herald 
 proclaimed: “Rural schools in South Canterbury are set to benefit from world-class internet speeds …”; the  
Hawke’s Bay Today 
 celebrated: “residents to reap ultra fast perks”; and of particular interest to the member will be the  
Taranaki Daily News 
 which stated: “Rural Taranaki internet speeds are about to improve tenfold as the Government gets set to roll out its $500 million Rural Broadband Initiative next month.” 
Shane Ardern 
: How will the expected passage of the Telecommunications (TSO Broadband and Other Matters) Amendment Bill this afternoon provide better broadband services to rural communities? 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Those members in this House who understand that providing better internet speeds will be a massive economic enabler for rural communities and those members who recognise that 230000 households on dial-up in 2011 is just not good enough will be supporting the bill’s third reading this afternoon as we correct the mistakes of the previous Government. The bill provides for the telecommunications development levy to be invested in 3100 kilometres of new fibre into rural areas and an extra 154 cellphone towers. When completed 98 percent of New Zealanders will have access to broadband services of 5 megabits per second or more and 98 percent of schools will have an ultra-fast broadband connection as well. 
Clare Curran 
: How does he respond to the hundreds of schools and dozens of mayors some of whom are now writing to me to express their concern about the zone 3 schools that have been left out of both the urban and the rural broadband initiatives that are now being subjected to an uncosted tender process next year? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Can I ask the House to be a bit more reasonable on the interjection level. I do not know whether the Minister even got to hear that. 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: Well I have heard it a number of times before so actually I am able to hear it. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Silly me! 
Hon STEVEN JOYCE 
: As I have tried to point out to the member previously there is no delay for those schools. They will in fact be connected. There is somebody writing to some schools though scaremongering that those schools will not be connected and I wonder whether the member might know who it is because it is signed by one Clare Curran. 
Clare Curran 
: Point of order Mr Speaker. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: I want this to be heard in silence members please. 
Clare Curran 
: I seek leave to table a letter dated 17 June from Linton Camp School to the Hon Anne Tolley in response to her letter expressing concern that it had been left out of the broadband scheme although the two schools on either side of it had not been. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection. 
Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.