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Telecom is pleased the Government has moved promptly to fix an error in the Telecommunications Act 2001.
“It is understandable that in a complex piece of legislation some parts might not exactly reflect what the Government was intending at the time,” said Telecom General Manager Government and Industry Relations Bruce Parkes.
“The main issue for now is to rectify the error which could have forced unfair and unworkable wholesaling rules. Fixing it will be quite a straightforward matter.
“This mistake points to a broader issue with the Telecommunications Act. With such a complicated and wide-reaching change in legislation it is likely that the actual words of the Act may end up being interpreted in ways that weren’t intended.
“There are already signs of this happening – such as the draft ruling from the Telecommunications Commissioner which would require regulated wholesaling even in areas where there is competition. We don’t think the Government intended that.
“If the Act is interpreted in such a broad way and results in a much more intrusive regime than intended, then the Government will need to make other changes as well,” Mr Parkes said.
ENDS
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