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Wairarapa MP Georgina Beyer welcomes Telecom's new price connection structure announced today, but said she still has concerns for some Wairarapa residents.
"My only reservation is that while this is a vast improvement, it hasn't gone far enough," she said.
"The Government has always recognised that Telecom should be able to charge for new connections and re-connections to its network.
"But my concern is still that some constituents in rural or other low-population areas, such as Wairarapa, could still face such high costs to access a phone line that they may not be able to get a phone connected."
Ms Beyer said this raises concerns about the ability of some people to access essential services.
"I am pleased that after two meetings with Government ministers, Telecom has recognised these concerns. The new charges are significantly fairer for people living in low population density areas than Telecom's original proposal," she said.
"This is a good start and I hope this can be further improved."
Ms Beyer said she also welcomes Telecom's announcement that it will extend its existing Budget Link concession programme to give people on low incomes the opportunity to pay the lowest new connection charge wherever they live.
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