New Zealand’s flawed broadband product disclosure regime

Tuanz CEO Paul Brislen raises a key issue with current broadband product disclosures. While he supports the idea in principle, he argues that consumers still only see basic information, with more complex technical details kept out of view.

Brislen writes:

“I don’t have a problem with traffic management plans, but when the telcos hide that information away, it makes buying decisions doubly tricky.”

Today’s disclosure regime may work for current broadband services, but Brislen warns it will need to evolve as New Zealand transitions from copper to fibre networks. Under the UFB (Ultra-Fast Broadband) scheme, wholesale fibre companies design broadband delivery products and retail providers then select from these standardised options, adding their own support and backend services.

These technical details, he says, are where retail providers can differentiate themselves. For consumers, navigating these specifics may be challenging, but they’re increasingly becoming the factors that will truly distinguish one provider from another.

To ensure disclosures stay relevant, Brislen suggests either tightening the disclosure rules or risk rendering them meaningless.

He adds that non-technical details—such as the time taken for customer support to respond—should also be disclosed to give consumers a fuller picture of service quality.