Sean wanted to have Fibre installed on his property. His current internet connection was via aerial wire. He planned to remove the aerial poles on his property in the near future so to prepare for the Fibre installation, he decided to lay ducting underground and in line with his Local Fibre Company (LFC) specifications. Sean assumed that because he had done this work, there would be little or no cost for Fibre installation. Once the ducting was completed Sean contacted his provider and requested a Fibre installation.
The LFC made contact and visited Sean at his property. The LFC determined that a ‘like for like’ installation would work, but it meant installing a new overhead connection in place of the existing overhead connection. Sean advised that he wanted an underground connection and pointed to the work he’d already done in laying the underground conduit.
The LFC representative noted what Sean wanted and informed Sean’s provider that there would be a cost involved for the underground installation. Sean disputed both the amount of the invoice and the amount of work required. A complaint was received by TDR and when Sean, his provider, and the LFC weren’t able to resolve it, one of TDR’s Resolution Practitioner’s got involved.
The Resolution Practitioner attempted to mediate between Sean, his provider, and the LFC. This process prompted the LCF to send out a senior technician to work with Sean to find a solution. However, TDR still had to determine what a “like for like” installation meant in this case. TDR issued a decision that noted that while Sean had done a lot of the work towards an underground install, that didn’t mean the installation was “like for like”. In this case, the Fibre could be installed via the existing overhead connection. That would constitute a “like for like” installation. Anything else would be considered a non-standard installation, for which the LFC could charge.
A “like for like” installation of Fibre uses existing infrastructure. This means if your current connection is via aerial wire, your Fibre connection will most likely also be via aerial wire. You can find out more at:
https://www.chorus.co.nz/help-and-support/fibre-installation/how-much-will-my-installation-cost