Curran slams copper tax, Samsung W8 PCs, Wynyard says it is on track

Labour communications spokesperson Clare Curran criticised Chorus asking government for a $100 million bailout to rollout the UFB network while posting a healthy $171 million net profit for 2013.

She says Communications Minister Amy Adams decision to price copper broadband the same as fibre amounts to giving the company a $100 million copper tax. The decision was made by the Commerce Commission after Adams announced plans to review telecommunications laws to tilt prices in favour of fibre.

Curran says it’s even more extraordinary that Chorus can use competitive copper pricing in the areas where it doesn’t control the fibre roll out. Chorus has contracts to build fibre in around two-thirds of the government subsidised Ultrafast Broadband network footprint while other fibre wholesale companies are building the remainder.

She says: “In other words Chorus can undercut the three smaller taxpayer supported UFB companies in Northland, the mid-North Island and Canterbury in order to protect its own business. This is called pocket pricing; it is an extraordinary rort.”

In other news...

• Samsung puts its money behind Windows 8 with four new slim PCs in the Ativ range. Prices range from NZ$1349 for a 13-inch touch screen laptop to the pricey Ativ Book 9 Plus which weighs in at a whopping $2499 – about a third more than Apple's most expensive MacBook Air model. Samsung claims its laptops offer the same 12 hour battery life, so it could be a hit with Windows 8 fans, if there is such a thing.
• Who says crime doesn’t pay? Auckland-based security specialist Wynyard says it is on track to meet its revenue target of $21.5 million . Managing director Craig Richardson said the company is benefiting from global media and attention on using technology to fight organised crime.