Telecommunications Act 2001

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Reprint as at 11 September 2008

Telecommunications Act 2001

Public Act2001 No 103
Date of assent19 December 2001
Commencementsee section 2
Note

Changes authorised by section 17C of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989 have been made in this reprint.

A general outline of these changes is set out in the notes at the end of this reprint, together with other explanatory material about this reprint.

This Act is administered by the Ministry of Economic Development.

Contents

1 Title

Part 1
Preliminary

Subpart 1—General

2 Commencement

3 Purpose

4 Overview

5 Interpretation

6 Public notice

7 Telecommunications access codes

8 Act binds the Crown

Subpart 2—Commerce Commission

Telecommunications Commissioner

9 Appointment of Telecommunications Commissioner

9A Functions of Commission in relation to sector monitoring and information dissemination

10 Performance of Commission's functions

Levy

11 Levy

12 Levy for first financial year or part financial year

13 Minister must consult before making recommendation under section 11(3) or section 12(4)

14 Late payment of levy

Application of Commerce Act 1986

15 Application of Commerce Act 1986 and Crown Entities Act 2004

16 Application of section 98A of Commerce Act 1986

17 Telecommunications Commissioner to consent to delegation of some functions and powers of Commission

Part 2
Designated services and specified services

Subpart 1—Preliminary

18 Purpose

19 Commission and Minister must consider purpose set out in section 18 and additional matters

19A Commission to have regard to economic policies of Government

Subpart 2—Determinations for designated access services and specified services

Application

20 Application

21 When application must be treated as application for pricing review determination

22 When application may not be made

22A Effect of application on existing agreement for supply of designated access service or specified service

23 Requirements for application

Notification

24 Commission must notify parties

Investigation

25 Commission must decide whether to investigate

Consultation

26 Consultation or conferences

Determination

27 Preparation of determination

28 When determination must be prepared

29 Requirements for determination

30 Matters to be included in determination

Subpart 2A—Standard terms determinations for designated access services and specified services

Preliminary

30A Overview of subpart

30B Interpretation

Standard terms development process

30C When standard terms development process may be initiated

30D Commission must give public notice if Commission initiates standard terms development process

30E Commission must conduct scoping workshop

Standard terms proposal

30F Call for standard terms proposal

30G Requirements for standard terms proposal

30H Failure to submit standard terms proposal

30I Receipt of standard terms proposal

30J Requirement for submissions

Draft standard terms determination

30K Draft standard terms determination

30L Consultation or conferences

Standard terms determination

30M Standard terms determination

30N Commission's discretion to determine how standard terms determination is to be prepared

30O Matters to be included in standard terms determination: general

30P Additional matters to be included in standard terms determination for designated access service

30Q Standard terms determination not to include expiry date

30R Review of standard terms determination

Application of standard terms determination

30S Application of standard terms determination

30T Effect of standard terms determination on determination made under section 27

Residual terms determination

30U Purpose of residual terms determination

30V Application for residual terms determination

30W When application may not be made

30X Requirements for application

30Y Commission must notify parties

30Z Commission must decide whether to investigate

30ZA Consultation or conferences

30ZB Preparation of residual terms determination

30ZC Requirements for residual terms determination

30ZD Matters to be included in residual terms determination

Subpart 3—Determinations for designated multinetwork services

Commission may initiate process for designated multinetwork service determination on own initiative

31AA Commission may initiate process for designated multinetwork service determination on own initiative

Application

31 Application

32 When application may not be made

33 Requirements for application

Notification

34 Commission must notify parties

Investigation

35 Commission must decide whether to investigate

Draft determination

36 Draft determination

37 Matters to be included in draft determination

38 Consultation, conferences, or public hearing

Determination

39 Determination

40 Matters to be included in determination

41 Determinations not invalid for certain failures

Subpart 4—Pricing review determinations for designated access services

Application

42 Application

43 Requirements for application

Notification

44 Commission's requirements on receiving application

Calculation of price

45 Access provider to calculate price on request

46 Offences [Repealed]

Draft determination

47 Draft pricing review determination

48 Requirements for draft determination

49 Matters to be included in draft determination

Consultation

50 Consultation or conferences

Determination

51 Pricing review determination

52 Matters to be included in determination

Subpart 5—Supplementary provisions for all determinations

53 Procedure for determinations

54 Applicant may withdraw

55 Commission's costs

56 Parties' costs

57 Enforcing directions given under section 55 or section 56(2)

58 Clarification of determination

59 Reconsideration of determination

60 Appeals from certain determinations under Part 2

61 Enforcing determinations of Commission [Repealed]

62 Expiry of determinations

63 Application of Commerce Act 1986

Subpart 6—Matters relating to regulation-making powers for designated services and specified services

64 Mandatory review of local loop unbundling and access to, and interconnection with, Telecom's fixed PDN [Repealed]

65 Expiry of designated services and specified services [Repealed]

66 Alterations to Part 2 or Part 3 of Schedule 1

67 Alterations to clauses 1 to 6 of Schedule 1

68 Minister's recommendation subject to procedure in Schedule 3

68A Application of Schedule 3A

69 Regulations

Part 2A
Operational separation of Telecom

Preliminary provisions

69A Purposes

69B Overview

69C Interpretation

Requirements for separation plan

69D Main requirements for separation plan

69E Meaning of equivalence

69F Minister must determine further requirements for separation plan

69G How Ministerial determination of further requirements may be made

Process for settling separation plan

69H Preparation of draft separation plan

69I Minister must invite public comments on draft separation plan

69J Amendment of separation plan after public comments

69K Minister may approve, or decline to approve, separation plan

69L Minister may amend separation plan to give better effect to this Part

69M Failure to submit separation plan

Implementation of separation plan

69N Implementation of separation plan

69O Telecom must publish separation plan

69P Employees

Statutory provisions for enforcement of separation plan

69Q Enforcement and remedies under Part 4A

69R Power of court to grant relief in respect of separation undertakings

69S Interrelationship of remedies

Variation of separation plan

69T Variation of separation plan

69U Variation by agreement

69V Variation by Minister

69W Variation by Telecom

69X Commission may request variation

Part 2B
Information disclosure requirements

69Y Purpose

69Z Parameters of Part

69ZA Interpretation

69ZB Accounting separation of Telecom

69ZC Information disclosure by all access providers

69ZD Miscellaneous provisions relating to Commission's information disclosure requirements

69ZE Publication of Commission's information disclosure requirements

69ZF Information to be supplied to Commission

69ZG Commission to publish summaries

69ZH Reasonable charge may be imposed for providing copies of statements

Part 3
Telecommunications service obligations

Subpart 1—TSO instruments

70 Declaration of TSO instruments

71 Deemed TSO instrument

71A TSO instrument or deemed TSO instrument may specify total amount payable by all liable persons

72 New KSO does not alter or revoke constitution of Telecom

73 When KSO part of original KSO ceases to have effect

74 Compliance with TSO instrument

75 Variation of TSO instrument or deemed TSO instrument

76 When instrument ceases to be TSO instrument or deemed TSO instrument

77 Notification of TSO instrument or deemed TSO instrument

78 Application of Commerce Act 1986

79 When 2 or more bodies corporate must be treated as 1 person

Subpart 2—Annual procedure for determining amounts payable by liable persons

Assessment of compliance

80 Assessment of compliance with TSO instrument

Requirement to produce certain information

81 Liable persons and TSO provider must produce certain information to Commission

82 Offences [Repealed]

Net cost

83 Calculations of net cost and auditor's report must be given to Commission

84 Considerations for determining net cost

Amount of revenue received by liable persons in relation to TSO instrument

85 Considerations for determining which revenue basis to use

General provision relating to TSO cost allocation determination and TSO cost calculation determination

86 Commission may determine priority between preparation of TSO cost allocation determination and TSO cost calculation determination

TSO cost allocation determination

87 Commission to prepare draft TSO cost allocation determination

88 Matters to be included in draft TSO cost allocation determination

89 Conferences on draft TSO cost allocation determination

90 Commission to prepare final TSO cost allocation determination

91 Matters to be included in final TSO cost allocation determination

TSO cost calculation determination

92 Commission to prepare draft TSO cost calculation determination

93 Requirements for draft TSO cost calculation determination

93A Matters to be included in draft TSO cost calculation determination

93B Conferences on draft TSO cost calculation determination

93C Commission to prepare final TSO cost calculation determination

93D Requirements for final TSO cost calculation determination

93E Matters to be included in final TSO cost calculation determination

Calculation of amount payable by liable person

93F Calculation of amount payable by liable person

94 Payment by liable persons to TSO provider

Calculation of amount payable by TSO provider

94A TSO provider must meet residual amount from calculation of TSO charge

Subpart 3—Remedies and miscellaneous

Remedies

95 Application of sections 96 to 98 to TSO instruments that are company constitutions

96 Power of court to grant relief in respect of TSO instrument

97 Court must take public interest into account

98 Certain matters not to prevent making of order under section 96

99 Amounts identifying particular TSOs in invoices not permitted

Miscellaneous

100 Right of appeal to High Court

100A Procedure for determinations

100B Commission must include information about deemed TSO instrument in TSO cost calculation determinations

100C Duties of Commission in complying with section 100B

101 Regulations

Part 4
Networks

Subpart 1—Network operators and networks generally

Declarations of network operator status

102 Persons declared to be network operators

103 Ministerial requirements for declaration

104 When declaration must be revoked

105 Declaration made or revoked by notice in Gazette

Connection to network

106 Operator must agree to connection to network

107 When operator must not agree to connection to network

108 When operator must not refuse to agree to connection to network

109 Regulations

110 Actions for damages for contravention of section 106

111 Injunctions may be granted by High Court for contravention of section 106

Information requirement

111A Information about interconnection arrangements

Misuse of network

112 Misuse of telephone device

113 Indecent telephone calls for pecuniary gain

114 Interception of telecommunications for authorised purposes [Repealed]

115 Offence to use or disclose certain information for unauthorised purposes [Repealed]

Evidence

116 Computer records

Subpart 2—Maintenance of networks

Preliminary

117 Meaning of maintenance

118 Meaning of evidence of authority

119 Criteria for setting reasonable conditions

Rights of entry to land in respect of lines

120 Application to District Court

121 Court order

122 Contents of court order

123 Service of order

124 Production of order

Rights of entry to land in respect of existing works and existing lines

125 Rights of entry to land

126 Conditions of entry to land

127 Evidentiary presumption

Interference with lines

128 Request for removal or trimming of trees

129 Application to District Court

130 Court order

131 Costs of removal or trimming of trees

132 Removal of trees, etc, in emergency

133 Production of authority

134 Costs of removal of trees, etc, in emergency

Lines on roads

135 Construction or repair of lines on roads

136 Notice requirement

137 Network operator to be notified of conditions

138 Failure to notify conditions

139 Urgency

140 Offence to not comply with any of sections 135, 136, and 139

141 Appeals by network operators to District Court

Telephone cabinets, etc, on roads

142 Construction, etc, of telephone cabinets or other similar appliances

143 Network operator to be notified of conditions

144 Failure to notify conditions

145 Urgency

146 Offence not to comply with section 142 or section 145

147 Appeals by network operators to District Court

Miscellaneous

148 Alteration to line on road requested by owner

149 Lines must not interfere with public traffic

150 Lines over navigable waters

151 Network operator must avoid interference with traffic

152 Offence to contravene any of sections 149 to 151

153 Charging for access to road reserve

154 Compensation

155 Protection of existing works

156 Notices to be in writing

Part 4A
Enforcement

Subpart 1—Enforcement of statutory and regulatory provisions

Preliminary

156A Application of section 156B

156B Enforcement actions that Commission may take

156C Matters that Commission must take into account in deciding what enforcement action to take

Civil infringement notice

156D Civil infringement notice

156E Objection to civil infringement notice

156F Commission must consider objection

156G Effect of withdrawal of civil infringement notice

156H Consequence of not paying pecuniary penalty specified in civil infringement notice

156I Right to appeal

156J Decision on appeal

156K Commission may publish information about issue of civil infringement notice

Pecuniary penalty

156L Pecuniary penalty

156M Further penalty may be imposed for continuing breach

Subpart 2—Enforcement of determinations, approved codes, and registered undertakings

156N Interpretation

156O Complaints of breach of enforceable matter

156P Enforcement by High Court

156Q Remedies for breach of enforceable matter

156R Limit on amount of pecuniary penalty

Part 5
Miscellaneous

157 Regulations

158 Enactments amended

159 Certain provisions in 1987 Act repealed

160 Transitional provision for declarations made under section 2A of 1987 Act

161 Transitional provision relating to repeal of section 5C of 1987 Act

Schedule 1
Designated services and specified services

Schedule 2
Telecommunications access codes

Schedule 3
Procedure for altering regulated services

Schedule 3A
Undertakings

Schedule 4
Enactments amended

Telecommunications Amendment Act (No 2) 2006

Reprint notes