On 20 March 2024, the Commerce Commission (“Commission”) decided to commence an investigation under Part 1 of Schedule 3 of the Telecommunications Act 2001 (“Act”) into whether Schedule 1 should be altered in any of the ways set out in section 66 or 67, in respect of the regulation of five of the copper services contained in Schedule 1 (together the “Relevant Copper Services”), as it is required to under section 69AH of the Act.

The relevant Copper Services subject to the investigation are:

Copper fixed line access services (which encompasses Chorus’ unbundled bitstream access (UBA)) and Chorus’ unbundled copper low frequency service (UCLF); Chorus’ unbundled bitstream access backhaul (UBA Backhaul); Chorus’ unbundled copper local loop network co-location (UCLL Co-location); and Chorus’ unbundled copper local loop network backhaul (UCLL Backhaul).

The Commission has also published an approach paper for consultation, explaining the proposed approach for the investigation. The approach paper is available on the Commission’s website.

The Commission hereby gives notice, in accordance with section 6, via clause 1(6) of Schedule 3 of the Act, that it has commenced an investigation into the regulation of the Relevant Copper Services contained in Schedule 1, as it is required to under section 69AH of the Act.

Dated this 22nd day of April 2024.

COMMERCE COMMISSION.