Electric fence shock for internet users

Rural Rotorua residents have had to resort to their own detective work to find a pulsing electric fence that has caused headaches for internet and phone users.

Oturoa Rd residents had been putting up with the sound of a thumping electric fence interfering with their phone line until the end of last week. They're not happy they have had to sort out the problem, saying it should be Telecom's job.

Roger McHale spent most of one Sunday driving around his neighbours' properties trying to find the offending fence.

Its pulsing makes it impossible for some residents to access the internet, use fax machines and occasionally telephones.

"For about nine days we couldn't use the internet or the fax, the noise could get so bad you would have to hang up."

He said the problem affected between 30 and 40 people in the area and got so bad his tenants living on Oturoa Rd were going to move out.

Brett Jackson, spokesman for Telecom's access network business Chorus, said finding the source was like looking for a needle in a haystack and incorrectly earthed electric fences could disrupt rural phone lines up to 6km away from the source.

Mr Jackson said the issue was not Telecom's to fix.

"Responsibility for ensuring that electric fences are not interfering with telecommunications networks lies with electric fence owners," he said.

Another Oturoa Rd resident found the unwitting culprit late last week by calling as many residents as she could.

The disruption disappeared when the farmer, who did not want to be named, turned his fence off.

The farmer, who lives about 6km from Mr McHale said he had been totally unaware one of his electric fences was causing the problem. "I have checked my fence a few times. Most of it is new and I cannot find a fault with it," he said.

"I don't want to turn it back on in case [the problem] starts again but some of my stock have gotten through the fence and damaged about $10,000 worth of baled hay."

Owner/operator of Fantastic Farms, Kristy Clarke who lives around the corner on State Highway 5, said her phone was still affected and had been for two years. The problem is so common Telecom introduced a pamphlet entitled "Is your electric fence phone and internet friendly?"

"With the amount of money they made last year you would think they could afford to help us out," Mr McHale said.