Telecommunications Commissioner appointed
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amy Adams has today announced the appointment of Dr Stephen Gale as the incoming Telecommunications Commissioner and member of the Commerce Commission.
An independent panel was convened to consider the 44 applications for the role, and recommended the appointment of Dr Gale.
“The Telecommunications Commissioner’s role remains a vital one to the success of the industry and it was important we found the best candidate,” Ms Adams says.
“Dr Gale impressed the panel with his wide range of experience in regulated industries and his ability to articulate the role of the regulator to promote the interests of consumers through encouraging competition and ensuring that investors have the incentives to invest over the long-term.
“He has an excellent understanding of the issues faced by the telecommunications industry and the various approaches taken by other countries in regulating their telecommunications markets.”
Dr Gale has been an associate member of the Commission since July 2010, and has sat on the telecommunications division of the Commission since February of this year.
The appointment is for a five-year term starting on 12 July.
Ms Adams thanked out-going Telecommunications Commissioner, Dr Ross Patterson, for his contribution during the last five years.
“Dr Patterson played an important role in the success of the telecommunications sector during his tenure, including participating in the operational separation of Telecom, the unbundling of the local copper loop, and mobile termination regulation. I wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Background:
Prior to this appointment, Dr Stephen Gale was an associate member of the Commerce Commission. He was previously a director of the advisory firm Castalia. He was with the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research from 1986 to 2003 and was with the Ministry of Energy before that. He holds a doctorate in physics from Cambridge University. Over his working life Dr Gale has specialised in energy policy, regulation and, in the past 15 years, competition policy.
