US embassy cable - 05WELLINGTON491

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000491 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/ANP - TRAMSEY; EB/CIP - TFINTON; USTR - 
PNEUREITER 
 
E.O. 12985:  N/A 
TAGS: ECPS, ETRD, EU, NZ 
SUBJECT:  NEW ZEALAND - RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR LICENSING 
CONDITIONS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS SECTOR 
 
Ref:  State 114687 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
1. (SBU) Wellington Charge spoke about reftel questions to 
Kester Gordon, Senior Advisor, Telecommunications and 
Postal Policy Group for the New Zealand Ministry of 
Economic Development.  We received the following responses 
on June 22, 2005: 
 
2. (U) With regards to the first question on fee 
assessment in connection with licensing fixed line 
services, Mr. Gordon wrote:  "A telecommunications service 
provider does not require a regulatory license to supply 
telecommunications services in New Zealand. 
Telecommunications levies are applied without regulatory 
licensing or registration.  Telecommunications industry 
levies are applied on the basis of a liable service 
provider's revenue share in relation to the revenue of 
other telecommunications operators.  An industry levy is 
applied to recover some of the regulatory authority's 
costs for telecommunications regulation.  Industry levies 
are also applied to recover the net cost for community 
service obligations meeting government social 
telecommunications objectives." 
 
3. (U) Regarding the second question on capitalization or 
bonding requirements, according to Mr. Gordon this is not 
required in New Zealand. 
 
4. (U) Mr. Gordon also informed Charge, in reference to 
the last question on build-out investment requirements, 
that "there are no regulatory requirements for the build- 
out fixed line telecommunications networks in New Zealand. 
A network-build requirement is able to be imposed under 
the Telecommunications Act 2001 as an access condition 
determined for supply of the national roaming regulated 
service." 
 
HADDA