Source: WDC Survey Info

This survey was undertaken in May 2016 to determine if the level of interest in fibre optic broadband by property owners in Tamahere and Matangi might be high enough to:

• attract commercial interest in undertaking a fibre roll-out to the area,
• enable the Council to partner the community to build a case for the provision of a fibre-optic network in the area.

The Tamahere and Matangi areas were included in a Waikato District Council Registration of Interest (ROI) for all its major towns and rural localities to be considered for extended Government funding for Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB2) and Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI2).

Property owners in Tamahere and Matangi provided strong feedback at that time about the desirability of fibre-optic broadband. Subsequently it has become apparent that it is highly unlikely fibre optic cabling will be laid in rural areas like Tamahere and Matangi without significant commercial investment, and strong support from the community in the form of a financial contribution from customers.

The survey was sent to a sample of nearly 1,400 Tamahere and Matangi property owners and generated a 36 per cent response rate. More than 93 per cent of respondents said they would ‘definitely’ sign up for a UFB internet service if it was offered and 75 per cent said they would be prepared to contribute financially. More than 37 per cent of respondents said they would use a fibre-based internet service for work purposes.

A full report is available below.

tamahere-matangi-ufb-survey-report