Telecommunications network sought

Press, 23 April 1987, Page 9

Telecommunications network sought

PA Wellington The Electricity Corporation should retain control of its own telecommunications network in spite of monopoly powers proposed for Telecom under new legislation, it said yesterday. The Electricity Corporation told the Commerce and Marketing Select Committee hearing

submissions on the State Enterprises Restructuring Bill that Telecom, one of the three new Post Office corporations, would have “an exclusive monopoly” of telecommunications. Any other organisation would have to apply for a licence to have its own network.

However, the corporation said control of its own telecommuncations was essential for technical work and public safety, collecting data and rapid reaction to a blackout or any other emergency, and protection of the electricity system.

It asked the committee to consider amending the bill so that the Electricity Corporation did not need a licence, or otherwise having a statute empower-

ing it to have the appropriate licence granted. The corporation also said the new bill would not allow it to transfer land which was subject to pastoral lease — specifically referring to the whole of the Waitaki Basin. It told the select committee that “a tidy-up exercise” was needed.

As the bill stood, the Crown would not be able to deal with the problem of a “substantial part of the Upper Waitaki power scheme ... built on land subject to lease.”

Another concern of the Electricity Corporation was that, under proposals in the bill, it would not have the traditional backing of the Crown to enter land and put up transmission lines.