Broadband for Cabinet

[flamboyant]

When reading through the different forums I have concluded what an intelligent group of posters we have. There are accountants, directors, strategists, consultants and auditors to name but a few reading the different forums. I'm an advocate of transparency because I believe it's one way to utilise that army of experts.

 

I believe the Current Council are pouring massive amounts of time energy and money into the wrong resources and projects. That's not a revelation and from what I've read many agree with me. I am not the most intelligent person on the planet, I'm apt to let my imagination, passion and morality cloud my thinking and I certainly know my limitations.

 

So ...... My reason for posting is to throw out a challenge to all you clever people.

 

Take a look at the following agenda reports pack on the following link and post your thoughts.

 

There are several things in the document that provoked my thought processes but sadly as I said I'm not intelligent enough to answer myself! For example:

 

The documents states one of the reasons this initiative is a good idea is because it will encourage more people to shop online. Won't that sabotage the ESG? It would appear the cabinet run with the cowboys and shoot with the Indians?

 

 

 

http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=251&MId=4376&Ver=4

[Mick]

I think most people at some point shop online and collect in store, I think that's the idea and to give rural area's better broadband speeds because Herefordshire is useless. 

[Biomech]

Yeah the reserve and collect is an idea that failing shops came up with to get punters into the shops, at which point they are either tempted by other products or the sales force are encourage to sell high margin attachments.

You see, the trouble is that so many of these shops sell their primary products at very small profit margins - even negative*, and then rely on high margin attachments to generate a profit. Part of the upsell process if you like. The problem with online shopping is that people don't know about the extra things they might need, or know what they need but aren't educated in the varieties of such things - cable specs for TV's, paper weights vs printer capacity, tyre type for cars etc. So while online shopping grosses more business, it actually nets lower profit margins.

 

So the plan is to get people into the shops at which point all of these extras are explained/sold. The trouble is, by this point the consumer has mentally left the shopping stage, they have closure on their price and now want their product. Frequently, shop staff churn through the reserve and collect desks with no effort in adding to the sale, whether the consumer requires something additional to make the product work or not.

Online shopping requires the consumer to know EXACTLY what they want and know where it falls within the product range. This is VERY rarely the case.
There is A LOT to be said for in store sales, it's just a shame that it is extremely uncommon for shops in Horrorford to employ the necessary staff and knowledge.

As for DSL in Hereford.... certainly around the city and outskirts you can now get fiber optic.

[flamboyant]

This project requires an initial investment of 10 million. The digital strategy is contradictory, it talks about high numbers of people living in Hereford in poverty and the high numbers of elderly living in rural areas. Do Herefordshire Council really think these people need a broadband connection? One of the key selling points is the Cabinet will have access to broadband. It's an extremely expensive project. The Council want people to conduct Council business online. The Council Website can not support this project without huge investment. The rural areas have access to fast connections BT, sky and any number of internet service providers have this market covered. If you live in the Countryside and want a fast connection you can get one if you know where to look. By the time HC get this off the ground technology will have moved on.