Labour Party communications spokeswoman Clare Curran will today try to extract answers from the Government about when the $1.5 billion roll-out of broadband will start.
"The roll-out of broadband to New Zealand homes was a central promise in National's election campaign but seven months after the election, the Government is deferring further announcements for another two months.
"There are worrying signs of backsliding in the time the Government is taking to announce how it is going to roll out the programme as fairly and efficiently as possible," she said.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce appears before the commerce select committee today to answer questions on vote communications - the amount of money given in the budget to communications.
Ms Curran said from Wellington she would try to get Mr Joyce to answer in more detail how National intended rolling out the broadband and how it would be paid for.
There had been $290 million allocated in the budget as the first tranche of the programme but the Government had not said how that money would be spent.
"The industry remains in limbo as it has been for the last seven months. Now, it looks as though it could be up to a year before there is a start on the roll-out.
"This was National's big plan - a core part of the stimulus package. It is a significant amount of money and there needs to be more detail."
It was becoming clear that National's core election promise of broadband to 75% of New Zealand homes could not be delivered, Ms Curran said.
