Posts by Neil Smart
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Auckland airport is a natural monopoly. I dealt with the Wellington Airport culture when it was run by Don Huse and experienced first hand how restrictive they could be if you wanted to do something on airport land.
God forbid that we should sell monopoly assets to foreigners. It is bad enough letting Kiwi’s make monopoly profits out of us without letting a bunch of Canadians or Americans or anybody else for that matter.
Strategy should not enter into it but if that is what we want to call it, so be it!!
-
Russell I am not surprised buy the phone spam. I am reading Noam Chomsky's Failed States. He describes action of this sort as Demonic Messianism, which he says, is a natural device for leadership groups that are at the extreme of the spectrum in their dedication to the short-term interests of narrow sectors of power & wealth.
He is of course a little extreme in his views and of course fears American democracy is a long dead thing but the point he makes is exactly what these special interest groups are trying to create in NZ. The power used by a few, to overcome common sense of the majority in the pursuit of a minority view that suits those with vested interests. He calls them reactionary or conservative Statists.
The noise created by this group about this bill is a good example of this behaviour. I only hope the government draft it properly because I do think there are some legitimate concerns on complexity.
-
I am reminded of the Ma Bell carve-up in America in the early 80s, which was outright amputation, compared to the surgery Telecom is undergoing (and BT underwent).
The USA is the best example of how not to deregulate a telecommunications network. Decades later they have still not recovered. As an example, look what a mess their local exchange network is in and how quickly they have (not) rolled out a mobile network.
Big telcos have their uses when you want to a national plan or a service that can be accessed uniformly and ubiquitously.
When you keep carriers public, they are risk averse: so new technology can be slow to market and there is little price competition. I understand the problem (I think) but not the answer.
We do not want a look alike electricity reform but better management of the carriers. Peter Troughton may have been partly right in his measurement of “ratio of circuit ends per employee” as a ratio to measure productivity. You might also use “capital expenditure per circuit end”. You need an accountant or economist to answer that and I am neither.
-
It's not cabinets that are wrong here - far from it - it's the lack of consultation and the protectionist approach to the roll out. The areas that really need cabinets are further afield (not central Auckland) yet they're getting nothing
For once we agree Paul. But complaining about Telecom is not going to make them or the problem go away. Look how Vodafone reacts when someone suggests sharing their GSM network. That is why the private sector should not control infrastructure but be only allowed to lease space in or on it.
Regulating monopolistic industries is a tricky business
You bet your sweet life one only has to look at the airport companies to see where the risk of monopolistic behaviour lies. If the government cedes control of infrastructure to the private sector the NZ public will lose.
Look at the queue of private investors clamouring for a slice of Auckland airport.
-
As he (Paul Reynolds)points out, putting equipment in exchanges won't solve the issues for those at the end of long copper lines. Cabitenising can be seen as more customer focused than ISP. The issue is, of course, who can afford to put their equipment in each cabinet rather than the much smaller number of exchanges?
John that is exactly the point I was making. Telecom is not going to design a network to suit NZ but their shareholders.
We need to accept that cabinets are the right way to design a new NGN network and get on with building something that competes with it.
The early signs in areas like the fibre project in Nelson is that it may be possible but it needs funding. . Unfortunately TUANZ got too fixated on LLU. LLU has to be done but it should not be a single strategy approach.
Cunliffe is doing his best to point out the obvious
-
Russell you are right about Cunliffe, he may at times be naive but he has realised the importance of a high-speed network, and is actively seeking ways to do it!
On the Internet NZ site this week a discussion has been going on about LLU. Some comments have been quite sensible and others have been simplistic twaddle.
The key component is that Nzer’s must own the infrastructure to drive investment. Like rail and road private ownership is not an option. The asset is too valuable. Relying on Telecom to do the "right " thing is neither practical nor sensible.
Cabitenising the network is the only way for Telecom to roll out next generation services from a practical standpoint. That does not suit the rest of us? No of course not, so why does that not surprise us? Telecom is a large corporate with stakeholders demanding their pound of flesh.
The best comment on LLU from Internet NZ members has been to stop moaning about Telecom and get on with it. David Cunliffe is demonstrating his desire to do so.
Craig if Private Public partnerships are the only way to do it so is it. But at least ensure NZ inc stays in control and drives investment ideology should not enter into it.
-
The opinions and positions taken suggest that, probably most people have fixed ideas of who was right and who was wrong.
They are not going to have their opinion changed by anyone from the left or right of their position. (alphabetically arranged in case you perceive bias)
Thank God the moderator has a sense of perspective.
Too much hot air and I don't only mean the alleged terroists.
-
So, who is the 14-year old at TV One who has been writing Simon Dallow's scripts lately? In the past few weeks on the 6pm news there has been a breathlessness coming through more befitting the E! Channel. It is a bit alarming.
But I'm starting to think that's the point
The news quality particulalrly on One is disappointing. One seems to have got worse recently if that were possible!!
The piece on the Sunday Six Oclock News about that "micrphone incident" left something to be desired. I counted at least 7 or more occaisions in which they showed the footage. I watched TV3 which was much better only 1 or 2 repeats.
Surely there are more interesting things happening in the world than an idiot hitting another idiot with a microphone. To repeat the footage that many times smacks of propaganda.
Your Fijian example seems valid I did not see the News last night. I have just returned form the States and enjoyed reading the NY Times International Edition Perhaps we should all give up on NZ produced news and use the internet?
-
I hate to say it guys but you are all a little bit right but have missed the key point. I am talking about the game not the politics.
The All Blacks failing was that they thought they could win the world cup by playing the kind of rugby we all love. Fast attacking stuff with wingers scoring wonderful tries.
The reality with the exception of 1987 the team winning the RWC has been defensively sound. Had the AB's continued to play the game in which they started the game kicking into the corners and playing the rugby in the opponents 22 they would have beaten France and England or Australia. South Africa was always a difficult task
Unfortunately we picked a team of runners. Look at the mistake of leaving Weepu out for a couple of able running halfbacks that lacked his physical presence. Look at the amazing kick of Carter's in his own 22 to an open side winger. That signalled the start of the decline and the desire to run the ball from everywhere. I do not know if it was the game plan or the execution. I do know like the rest of NZ they got it wrong. So stop blaming refs and offside lines and start to think how we can win the next one. Look at how we need to still play great rugby but in the opponents half not at our end of the field.Oh and finally if Banks doesn’t want the RWC that is ok. Develop North Harbour Stadium. Which is probably what they should have done in the first place. He is only trying to get his own back for all the big guys who ran over him when he was in the 3rd form in his miserable secondary school wherever that was!!!!
-
On the Quantum line
DEFEAT
The Black hole of despair
E= MC2 is not true
Energy does not equal mass times the speed of light even squaredWIN
The Black wave of matter
Never How Much but
How many (Points)!!
(quod erat demonstrandum)!!OBSCURE
Kiwi All Black
rara avis
sui generis
carpe diem
(latin scholars only