NEW ZEALAND - RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR LICENSING

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