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InternetNZ ICT Debate

Thursday 1 September 2005, 7pm - 9pm

Featuring:
Maurice WILLIAMSON
David CUNLIFFE
Mikaere CURTIS


Main Questions:

http://www.internetnz.co.nz/forum/questions.htm

Proposed Questions:

1) Why am I expected to have two pieces of cable to my house for internet competition, but only one set of power lines?

(Asked)

2) Do you think that the current ComCom? decision limiting upstream speeds to 128kps, does not truly reflect both the advances in technology, as well as the reality of most recent broadband applications?

3) Where do small businesses fit into the current plan? There is no way you can do offsite backups feasibly under current environment, nor are SME's able to pay the huge ammounts for full rate plans... What does your party plan to do about this?

4) In terms of legal implications of Digital Media, how does your party intend to ensure that fair use is not compromised under hetrogenious IP regimes such as TRIPS? And will you allow for individuals to retain thier current rights in thier ability to lend/copy and transcode media (Do you support strong DRM(Digital Restrictions Management reigmes?)

5) Where does your party stand, in ensuring that OpenDocument formats, such as Oasis, are formally introduced and used both internally and externally in government?

6) What do you think of the Commerce Commission's abrupt about face between their preliminary and final report?

7) What is your opinion of the currently proposed anti-spam bill? What changes would you or your party introduce to it if you could.

8) To Maurice Williamson and David Cunliffe: What do you think you could have done better when you were the Minister? What would you like to achieve if you are the next IT Minister? WOuld you do a better job than you did last time?

9) If NZ government pay for software to be written, with taxpayer funds, should that software not be released to the taxpayer as open source?

10) what's your view on peering exchanges in local centres around NZ? What's your parties view on having government departments participate in peering exchangee or require their isps to do so?

11) Where do you stand on embracing the change to using open source software and operating systems? How about getting educational and government departments and facilities to use open source software, this saving the massive cost to the taxpayer for software licences ?

12) Related to above. The government has a relationship with HP/MS in the technology icubation centre (in mobile house). There has been criticisms that the government works TOO closely with vendors in schemes like this, where there is significant resources put into bidding on contracts. Would you institute a similar think tank of local talent to do the same thing but with non proprietry development models? i.e for a government FOSS think tank?

13) What is the single most important policy/action, that you think would benefit New Zealands economy, when regarding ICT?

14) Do you think that ICT is more or less important than other infrastructure services, such as water and sanitation?

15) Do you ever plan on completing the copyright review that is currently underway?

16) Do you personally believe that a person has a right to be in possession of information, and has a human right not to be persecuted for being in possession of information, regardless of how they came into possession the information originally (not an issue of transmittion, just of being in posession)? If not why?

17) Is the European councils decision on not allowing universal software patents in the EU, likely to affect the proposed draft patent act, which is current in the final stages of review, and currently allows for software patents?

18) You've said that you think that restricting certain types of traffic is bad; what about services that specifically prohibit certain traffic types, like Vodafone's new 3G service which prohibits VoIP? And telecoms terms and services on residential plans, which make every user in breach.

19) Electronic Voting? Why have we not done this? It seems that there is no good technological or paranoid reason that we do not allow electronic voting? Don't you think that allowing Web/ and electronic voting would (which could be spread over a period of time...) would masively increase voter turn out in this country? Considering the last elections saw the lowest voter turn out ever.