Lines company Vector appears to be taking advantage of Telecom’s recent woes to gather public support for its bid to install “fibre to the door” of 450,000 Aucklanders.

According to company tweets, more than 1000 members of the public have submitted comments on the www.fibretothedoor.co.nz website since it launched.

Along with social media, Vector is running a television advertisement (see below).

With the deadline for Crown fibre submissions come and gone, communications and IT minister Steven Joyce says Vodafone has not put forward its “private plan.”

In its public submission on Mr Joyce’s Crown fibre discussion document, Vodafone shared Telecom’s criticism of the 25 local fibre company model, saying it could fragment both technology and investment.

Get ready for Her Majesty's broadband. The Crown Fibre Investment Co (CFIC), proposed by the government this morning as the vehicle to drive its $1.5 billion in spending on fibre, would hold “A shares” for 10 years in each of up to 25 local fibre companies, and each private partner "B shares".

A consumer advocate says Telecom, TelstraClear and Vodafone show lots of self-interest, and little vision, with their joint report that rejects any need for the government to spend $1.5 billion on fibre-to-the-home.

Telecommunications Users Association of NZ (Tuanz) chief executive Ernie Newman (pictured) says the task of building infrastructure should not be left to the three telcos, as their report, jointly-commissioned report from Castalia suggests.

If they build it, Freeview will come. General manager Steve Browning says if the government's proposed fibre optic to the home broadband network reaches 75% of the country by 2011 as promised, he'll happily move Freeview to fibre - which could spell dire news for Kordia.

"We're serious. It's something we've discussed at board level," Mr Browning tells NBR. He says a move to fibre would complement rather than replace Freeview's existing SD and HD broadcast arrangements with Kordia.

Kordia, in partnership with Australian company Pipe Networks, is well on the way to constructing a new fibre optic submarine broadband cable to link New Zealand and Australia.

The additional cable should add some much needed competition to the sector, dominated currently by the majority Telecom owned Southern Cross cable. It will also increase security of supply to New Zealand, long a concern for the industry.