Have your say on the deployment of broadband infrastructure

The Ministry of Economic Development today released a discussion document seeking feedback and Expressions of Interest on a proposed Deployment Standards Initiative to develop nationwide standards for broadband infrastructure deployment techniques.

The initiative is part of a range of complementary measures the government is considering to facilitate the deployment of broadband infrastructure in urban and rural areas.

The Deployment Standards Initiative, a joint initiative with Crown Fibre Holdings and the Digital Auckland Working Party, will assist with building understanding about the range of deployment techniques available for broadband infrastructure, the benefits to be gained from non-traditional fibre deployment techniques, and will enable standards to be developed for the various deployment techniques.

At the same time as seeking feedback on the discussion document, the Ministry is seeking Expressions of Interest from parties interested in being involved in the development and testing of deployment standards through a number of pilot investigations around the country.

Both the submissions on the discussion document and Expressions of Interest in the pilot investigations will inform a Request for Proposals phase of the tender process in August. The Request for Proposals will provide further information on the process to develop standards, the deployment techniques that will be the focus of the initiative, and the scenarios that will be the subject of pilot investigations.

Submissions and Expressions of Interest are invited on the proposed Deployment Standards Initiative by 5.00pm, Friday 9 July 2010.

Copies of the discussion document and further information on the submission process are available from the Ministry of Economic Development website at: www.med.govt.nz/facilitating-broadband.

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