Colonial science?
OPINION: Science funding for the bulwark of the nation, agriculture, is in a parlous state and less taxpayer money is shelled out for it every year.
Rural Women NZ wants rural broadband speed at the same standard of urban speeds.
The organisation has lodged a submission to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) on its review of the Telecommunications Act.
While RWNZ strongly supports the need for a new regulatory approach to wholesale telecommunication prices, RWNZ vice president Fiona Gower says that it is disappointing that the review does not address the issue of underinvestment in telecommunications.
“We feel strongly that a key goal of the review should include bringing rural broadband speeds up to the same standard as urban speeds,” she says
“While considerable progress has been made through the Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), the reality for rural and remote users is that the current state of the network remains poor.
“In addition, it is concerning that the Government is directly funding UFB deployment in urban areas but it is not actually putting any funding into rural areas as part of the RBI”.
The RBI continues to be funded directly by the industry through the Telecommunications Development levy.
Fiona Gower says end-user impact of the proposed utility style pricing regulation remains unclear.
“Primarily our members want internet and phone prices to remain affordable whilst also encouraging wholesale network operators to invest appropriately in improving rural infrastructure. We are concerned about how changes to wholesale prices will be treated by Retail Service Providers and reflected in retail prices”.
MBIE's review also proposes exploring options for promoting competition in the mobile market. Gower says: “Mobile coverage is seriously lacking in rural areas, despite the fact that these days it is considered a basic lifeline in emergency situations”.
RWNZ’s submission encourages the Government to proceed with options that encourage greater infrastructure sharing and competition between mobile network operators. It also suggests additional government stimulus may be necessary to fund further investment by mobile network operations in the most uneconomic areas of the network.
RWNZ have read the submission made by TUANZ, and as a member, lend their support to the TUANZ submission on the review of the Telecommunications Act.
Managing director of Woolover Ltd, David Brown, has put a lot of effort into verifying what seems intuitive, that keeping newborn stock's core temperature stable pays dividends by helping them realise their full genetic potential.
Within the next 10 years, New Zealand agriculture will need to manage its largest-ever intergenerational transfer of wealth, conservatively valued at $150 billion in farming assets.
Boutique Waikato cheese producer Meyer Cheese is investing in a new $3.5 million facility, designed to boost capacity and enhance the company's sustainability credentials.
OPINION: The Government's decision to rule out changes to Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) that would cost every farmer thousands of dollars annually, is sensible.
Compensation assistance for farmers impacted by Mycoplama bovis is being wound up.
Selecting the reverse gear quicker than a lovestruck boyfriend who has met the in-laws for the first time, the Coalition Government has confirmed that the proposal to amend Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) charged against farm utes has been canned.
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