ICT Minister Steven Joyce has announced that schools are to have the costs of their 'fibre-drop' paid for by the government.  The Minister's full press release can be viewed by clicking on the link below.

What he has not said in that release is that to be eligible for that payment, the school fibre drop must connect to a UFB or RBI provided fibre cable.  What this means is that schools in those communities that have provided their own fibre access (because they chose not to wait for up to 5 more years for the RBI), will be disadvantaged compared to those that wait.  This has a particular consequence for Ararimu where a Community Broadband initiative is being planned.