Kiwi town's free internet plan

Stratford has launched a daring plan to become the first New Zealand town with free broadband internet for everyone.

The innovative move could see Stratford residents with access to the internet in their own homes as a council-provided service funded by the ratepayer.

Although other towns, such as Lawrence in the South Island, have free wireless broadband in their central business districts, nowhere yet has a free service for the entire town.

Stratford District Council yesterday approved a $20,000 feasibility study into free broadband at its policy meeting.

The plan was devised by council chief executive Michael Freeman, a keen internet advocate and chair of local group iTaranaki Trust. Stratford was the ideal place for free wireless internet because it was small and reasonably flat, Mr Freeman said.

"We're not in a big city where the commercial companies might do it anyway, so if the council doesn't do it, no-one else is going to," he said.

A lack of competition among internet service providers made subscribing expensive, and Stratford wasn't on the government's list for new super-fast broadband.

"In due course, ISPs and the government will get to Stratford, but the question is how long will that be and do we want to be second-class citizens in the meantime?" Mr Freeman said.

What the chief executive asked councillors to consider was whether broadband would become a core service in the future, like the library or swimming pool.

According to the last census, about 50 per cent of people in urban Stratford had computers in their homes.

About 95 per cent of all residents had broadband coverage, but the percentage of people subscribed was unknown.

The feasibility study would find how much free broadband would cost the council and how to go about getting it.

Ideas floating around included placing a transmitter on the glockenspiel, using new technology to include rural-dwellers and setting a targeted rate to pay for the scheme, Mr Freeman said.

Although most of the scheme's fine points still needed to be defined, one thing that was clear was that the free internet would not be the fastest speed available. Instead, it would be more for home users wanting to check emails, talk to family overseas or browse the web.

Councillors agreed there would be much consternation about the plan, but signalled strong enthusiasm for the study by pushing it through to full council with a unanimous vote.

The final decision will be made at the full council meeting on August 11.

- © Fairfax NZ News