British actor Stephen Fry says New Zealand's broadband service is disastrous for the economy.
The actor, who is in the country to film The Hobbit, says New Zealand has probably the worst broadband service he's ever encountered.
Mr Fry says the comments, which he posted on Twitter, seem to have stirred up a hornet's nest.
Telecom spokesperson Katherine Murphy says Mr Fry was using a residential broadband plan that was unsuitable for what he was doing.
She says the broadband connection was being throttled after exceeding the plan's data allowance.
Prime Minister John Key says the problems Mr Fry experienced had nothing to do with New Zealand's network.
Mr Fry has since tweeted that Telecom has put the situation right, and was very quick and polite.
But he questions whether everyone who complains gets that kind of attention.
He's also called on the public to pressure providers to stop what he calls a digital embarrassment.
