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Christchurch City Council-owned fibre company Enable says providing free internet to social housing tenants has taken longer and is more complex that it originally thought.
More than 2000 social housing tenants in Christchurch were promised free internet in May last year – 14 months later they are still waiting.
Christchurch City Council-owned fibre company Enable announced last year that people living in 2300 social housing units managed by Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (ŌCHT) were about to get free internet through a decade-long partnership.
The scheme was touted to save ŌCHT tenants about $22 million in internet costs over 10 years, based on an $80-a-month connection fee.
But it has yet to happen.
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Enable said it still planned to provide an in-home internet service for digitally-excluded ŌCHT tenants, but it has taken longer and was more complex than originally thought.
The company had been seeking Government permission to deliver a full internet service itself.
It needed approval because it is a wholesaler, rather than an internet service provider, but Enable has decided to ditch that approach after it was too complex.
STACY SQUIRES/STUFF
Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust and Enable are teaming up to provide all of OCHT’s 2300 tenants free internet. (First published May 2021)
Enable head of engagement and sustainable development Daniel Herd said the company was now working with industry partners on a solution that would ensure the service was delivered seamlessly and efficiently.
He hoped the service could be delivered as soon as possible.
“We are close to being able to share information on our plans and need to share our plans with ŌCHT tenants in the first instance.”
Community advocate and ŌCHT tenant Stephen McPaike said a number of his fellow tenants could no longer afford the internet.
“I have had people contact me to say they’ve just had to give up the internet. It was internet or food.”
He said the internet was an important tool for tenants, especially since many government agencies were now pointing people to their websites.
STACY SQUIRES/Stuff
More than 60% of ŌCHT tenants are not connected to the internet at home.
More than 60% of ŌCHT tenants are not connected to the internet at home – much higher than the 7.5% of the wider community who do not have internet access.
In the meantime, Enable has also been working to roll out a free wi-fi service to ŌCHT’s 19 communal lounges.
Herd said the wi-fi services in the communal lounges would help these tenants access the internet, as well as support ŌCHT’s current digital training programme. Many tenants already had access to a device, but had limited or no internet access.
But McPaike pointed out that not all complexes have communal lounges.
ŌCHT chief executive Cate Kearney said she realised setbacks accompanied innovation, even after months of hard, focused work trying to make things happen.
“Enable’s original proposition turned out to be complex and we’ve been working with them on alternatives.
“We’re confident we’re close to bring able to share information about this soon.”
Kearney said she was grateful Enable was planning to connect communal lounges with free wi-fi.
Some tenants had questioned why the scheme had not yet launched, and the trust had been updating residents as things progressed, she said.
