KEY POINTS:
A broadband blackspot is being blamed for forcing some Pt Chevalier residents to take their business to other parts of Auckland.
More than 100 Pt Chevalier residents have signed an online petition complaining about broadband problems and many said they had download speeds up to a tenth of
what they should have.
They will meet Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard and a Telecom representative at a meeting at Pt Chevalier School tomorrow night to discuss broadband issues.
Alex Woodley, a researcher who works from her home on Pt Chevalier Road, said that since the inception of broadband parts of the suburb had not been able to get the technology at all while others had continuously had poor internet connection speeds.
She said she often had to take her work, which relied heavily on downloading and uploading big files, into a central Auckland office as her current internet connection kept failing.
Ms Woodley, who is also a member of Pt Chevalier Business in Service of Community and pays nearly $50 a month for her Xtra broadband explorer plan, feared the situation would force businesses out of the area if it continued.
"We are a business community and a lot of our businesses obviously want to stay here but it's very inconvenient when you have to do your work elsewhere. We need to be looking at ways we can make businesses sustainable locally as there are community and city-wide benefits.
"This is not a small issue when you realise our community has about 500 businesses and more than 3000 households."
Craig Brown, a marketing manager who has lived in Pt Chevalier for more than two years, blamed Telecom for not reinvesting in its technology.
"This has been the problem for donkey's years. It's ironic that New Zealand has got one of the oldest infrastructures in terms of running new technology through it, yet we're paying 10 times as much as other countries," he said.
"I live six minutes from the CBD and have these problems. It's absolutely outrageous."
Mr Brown alleged Telecom had knowingly advertised its broadband products in the area despite its not being able to deliver fully on what it promised.
"Why did they sign me up if they knew I couldn't get it or would only get limited connectivity ? They've known about this for years."
Telecom's community relations manager, Paul Leslie, would not comment on the broadband situation in Pt Chevalier before tomorrow's meeting.
"My understanding is the issues that they want to talk about are those who can and can't get broadband and the speeds they're getting.
"Obviously the objective for us is to come along and explain the current situation and any sort of future plans for the area."
Telecom spokesman Mark Watts said the length of the copper loop from the Mt Albert exchange to Pt Chevalier was among the technical issues that would be discussed.
Asked if there was a problem with broadband services in the area, Mr Watts said: "We are aware of concerns and we have a good understanding what is causing some of those issues.
"There are individual issues in terms of equipment and so forth but we are not blaming individuals.
"It is time to listen to specific local concerns and around that discussion talk about some of the options we have for improving things over time."
Auckland City has a broadband uptake of 37 per cent. Figures were not available for Pt Chevalier.
