Meeting organiser Dunedin South Labour MP Clare Curran told the meeting the provider offered a private meeting, which she was reluctant to accept.
About 30 people attended last night's meeting, which included Saddle Hill residents.
Residents in both areas have signed petitions, which have been put before Parliament and would be considered by a select committee after the election, Ms Curran said.
In the past year, connection speeds had slowed markedly, which was probably due to the proliferation of smart phones, laptop computers, and high data downloads.
Ms Curran said the connection speeds were unacceptable, hindering business development, and showed the failure of the Government's rural broadband initiative.
An English couple who live in Saddle Hill said they found it almost impossible to communicate with relatives overseas because of the slow speeds for internet calling service Skype.