The Commerce Commission gives notice, under clause 5(a) of Schedule 2A of the Telecommunications Act 2001 (“Act”), that it has approved the Copper Withdrawal Code (“Code”) under clause 3 of Schedule 2A of the Act.

This notice summarises the approved Code in accordance with section 6(2)(b) of the Act.

Summary

Application

The Code applies where Chorus seeks to stop supplying a copper service by complying with the requirements of the Code in relation to stopping the supply of that copper service.

Commencement

The Code comes into force on 1 March 2021.

Purpose

The purpose of the Code is to protect end-users of certain copper services where Chorus seeks to withdraw those services. The Code ensures this by setting out minimum consumer protection requirements that Chorus must comply with before Chorus may withdraw the end-user’s copper service, such that the end-user—

• understands Chorus’s process for withdrawal of the copper service, and how this will affect the end-user;
• has access to information about fibre services available to the end-user;
• has reasonable time to prepare for a proposed withdrawal of the copper service; and
• is able to have a connection to a fibre service installed (if they wish to move to a fibre service), and that the fibre service provides similar functionality to the copper service.

Key Requirements and Other Provisions

The table below summaries the key minimum requirements and other provisions in the Code:

Further Information

Copies of the Code, and the supporting reasons paper, are available on the Commission’s website at: https://comcom.govt.nz/regulated-industries/telecommunications/projects/copper-withdrawal-code.

Dated at Wellington this 10th day of December 2020.

COMMERCE COMMISSION.