Chorus and the Government are understood to be days away from a new deal on who should pay for connecting homes with awkward access to ultrafast broadband.

Telecommunications Users Association chief executive Paul Brislen said he believed the so- called "non-standard" connection charges could apply to as many as half of all homes in Auckland and Wellington and was adamant consumers should not foot the bill.

The Government last year agreed to provide Chorus with $929 million in soft loans in return for the company building 70 per cent of the ultrafast broadband (UFB) network, connecting premises when requested by consumers and businesses.

Under that contract, Chorus can charge consumers' chosen telecommunications retailers for connecting homes that cannot be reached with a 15-metre trench or 30m aerial cable, and for any more than 5m of internal cabling. The charges could run to thousands of dollars.

The Government has previously ruled out putting more money into the UFB scheme, and Chorus is understood to be unwilling to pick up all the non-standard connection costs.

Brislen said National would be breaking an election promise if homeowners had to pay. Fairfax NZ

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