- Telecommunications Services Other Than Mobile
- Are Rural Businesses Disadvantaged
- Opinions On Future Role Of Telecommunications
Views
Telecommunications Services Other Than Mobile
Respondents were asked to indicate if they thought that the level of general telecommunications services (other than mobile) affected the efficiency with which they could undertake business, or the type of business they could operate (Table 17). Business in this context included farming operations.
Table 17. Does telecommunications (other than mobile) affect type and efficiency of business?
Affects Efficiency |
Affects
|
|
| Yes | 19 |
12 |
| No | 54 |
38 |
| No opinion given | 27 |
50 |
These responses can be interpreted in two ways. One is that the telecommunications infrastructure and services are adequate to provide for rural business needs. However, given the list of problems cited by a large proportion of respondents to the survey, it is more likely that rural business is conducted in such a way that the telecommunications problems are marginalised, and that the "Information Economy" has yet to significantly impact on the rural community, and the way in which it conducts business.
Are Rural Businesses Disadvantaged
When the respondents with urban-based competitors were asked if they believed that they were at a disadvantage due to telecommunications services or infrastructure, the results were almost equally divided between those who believed they were disadvantaged and those who did not (Table 18).
Table 18. Are rural-based (non-farm) businesses disadvantaged?
Percentage |
|
| No | 48 |
| Yes | 52 |
Virtually every respondent who believed their rural-based business was at a disadvantage due to telecommunications, provided comments on the nature of their opinion. This was an unusually high comment rate compared with other questions in the survey, and can be taken as an indication of the strength with which the opinions are held. The comments can be found listed in Appendix VI: List Of Comments On Rural-Based Businesses.
Opinions On Future Role Of Telecommunications
The survey sought the respondents' views on the future role of telecommunications in rural New Zealand, and how optimistic they were of being able to be a part of the new Information Economy. Respondents were asked to choose the phrase which most closely matched their thoughts on how telecommunications would impact on their future as participants in the rural community (Table 19). Essentially, they were being asked for their view on the Digital Divide between rural and urban New Zealand.
Table 19. Opinions on future role of telecommunications
| Opinion | Percentage |
| Because I live/work in a rural area I will be seriously disadvantaged compared to those living in urban areas when it comes to taking advantage of new telecommunications based opportunities, including the Internet | 28 |
| Despite living in a rural area I will be able to take advantage of most of the new opportunities offered by telecommunications, including the Internet | 43 |
| Especially because I live in a rural area, the new telecommunications, including the Internet, offer many new opportunities. | 10 |
| No opinion | 19 |
Almost 1 in 5 (19%) of the respondents who answered this question, said they had no opinion on the subject. Over one-quarter of respondents believed they would be disadvantaged. Over half believed that despite living in rural areas, or especially because they lived in rural areas, the new telecommunications-based technologies had much to offer, and they would be in a position to take advantage of them.
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Sector Performance Policy
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