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I wish that Stuff was a more navigable website and spent more time categorising its stories into multiple areas (ie: business *AND* IT) where relevant or I might have found it myself.

What I want to know is why other news sources (print and broadcast) haven't given this story an airing?

If someone well qualified in the field can come from Japan and immediately spot the problems that the Commerce Commission seems blind to then surely it's newsworthy?

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Right now, as we (NZ) ride on the crest of a wave of global prosperity I suspect that nobody in authority cares too much about the fact that we are not enjoying the efficiencies and commercial benefits offered by a competitive DSL marketplace.

What happens however, when (as it will) the global economy begins to enter a recession phase?

At that point we'll need every advantage we can get in order to maintain our exports and keep our balance of payments account in check.

I notice also that the government, while very quick to take a photo-op whenever someone comes out in praise of NZ's infrastructure or good policies, appears to have completely ignored Mr Semmoto's comments in this case.

Surely this is a bit of a wake-up call to government -- do something NOW about the ridiculous price of business DSL connections!

And, if you're wondering what this is all about -- after all, you can get an "up to 2mB" DSL connection at home for less than $100 a month -- go check how much such a connection will cost a business user. But make sure you're sitting down first!

We're already halfway through the first decade of the 21st century and we have almost totally failed to realise the bright future portrayed at the various knowledge wave conferences that were held around the country some years ago.

Maybe it's time we had a reality check and examined exactly why we've missed the boat in so many ways. If we don't examine the causes and adjust our course then we're going to be well and truly stuffed when we can no longer rely on overseas prosperity to support our own internal economy.

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