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Telecommunications Act 2001

Networks - Right of access to use existing electricity works for telecommunications and deploying fibre optic cable

155ZU: Fibre optic connections that owners of existing works must provide to landowners

You could also call this:

"Rules for getting free or cheap fibre optic internet connections on your land"

Illustration for Telecommunications Act 2001

You need to know about fibre optic connections. If the connection point is 200 metres or less from the breakout point, the owner of the existing works must give you a standard connection. This means they install fibre optic cable at no cost to you. You get a standard connection if the owner installs fibre optic cable between the breakout point and the connection point. They do this by aerially installing up to 200 metres of fibre optic cable. This is done at no cost to you. If the distance is more than 200 metres, the owner must give you a non-standard installation. They install up to 200 metres of fibre optic cable at no cost to you. They also contribute 50% of the costs for installing fibre optic cable over the remaining distance, up to 500 metres. Sometimes an aerial installation is not possible and trenching is required. In this case, you must provide or pay for the trenching. The owner's obligation is not affected, except when the fibre optic cable cannot be installed aerially. The owner of the existing works and you can agree to change the rights and obligations for installing a fibre connection. An equivalent to a breakout point means any way the owner provides you with the capability to connect to a fibre-to-the-premises access network, as referred to in section 155ZT(2)​(b).

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7242759.

Topics:
Housing and property > Land useEnvironment and resources > Town planning
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155ZT: Right for owners of existing works to enter land and carry out fibre optic works, or

"Landowners with existing works can enter land to do fibre optic work if they follow the rules."

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155ZV: Third party use of existing works for carrying out fibre optic works, or

"Letting others use your pipes or cables for fibre optic work"

Part 4Networks
Right of access to use existing electricity works for telecommunications and deploying fibre optic cable

155ZUFibre optic connections that owners of existing works must provide to landowners

  1. If the distance between the breakout point (or equivalent) and the connection point is 200 metres or less, the owner of the existing works must provide the landowner with a standard connection.

  2. The owner of the existing works provides a standard connection by aerially installing up to, and including, 200 metres of fibre optic cable between the breakout point (or equivalent) and the connection point, at no cost to the landowner.

  3. If the distance between the breakout point (or equivalent) and the connection point is more than 200 metres, the owner of the existing works must provide the landowner with a non-standard installation.

  4. The owner of the existing works provides a non-standard installation by—

  5. aerially installing up to, and including, 200 metres of fibre optic cable along the distance between the breakout point (or equivalent) and the connection point, at no cost to the landowner; and
    1. contributing 50% of the costs of aerially installing fibre optic cable over the remaining distance, up to, and including, 500 metres, between the 200 metres installed under paragraph (a) and the connection point.

      1. Despite subsections (1) to (4), if an aerial installation is not practicable and trenching is required at any point,—

      2. the landowner must provide, or meet the cost of, that trenching; and
        1. the obligation of the owner of the existing works is not affected, except to the extent that, in any place where the fibre optic cable cannot be installed aerially, the landowner is responsible for trenching in that place as provided in paragraph (a).

          1. Nothing in this section prevents an owner of existing works and a landowner from entering into an agreement to replace or vary the rights and obligations concerning the installation of a fibre connection to a building on the landowner’s property provided for in this section.

          2. In this section, an equivalent, in relation to a breakout point, means any means by which the owner of the existing works provides the landowner with the capability to connect to a fibre-to-the-premises access network, as referred to in section 155ZT(2)(b), other than by including a break-out point.

          Notes
          • Section 155ZU: inserted, on , by section 13 of the Telecommunications (Property Access and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 16).