Thursday 19 January 2012

Barmy Schemes In Southend – Pt II

A wireless internet network could be rigged up across Southend, giving residents access to the web in their homes, on the road and even on the beach.
Really? Is this the most pressing problem in Southend?

I think not…
Nigel Holdcroft, the Tory council leader, said: “I think this could be extremely good for the town in terms of the benefits it will bring.
“It is a brave move and it shows this council is a forward-thinker.”
Or a blue-sky, head-in-the-clouds thinker…

Who is going to pay for it?
While paid-up residents would be able to surf the entire internet, visitors to town may be given limited access to the council’s website or other tourist information to find their way around.
Don’t most smartphones already have plenty of apps for that? It’s not like the coverage on 3G is so poor down on the seafront either…

Utterly pointless.

7 comments:

Antisthenes said...

Encouraging tourism is good but whether this idea is good would depend on a cost benefit analysis. Pointing out 3G already does the job envisaged does suggest that this idea is bad. However complete internet access may have merit.

Clarissa said...

Next up: Profits at BT etc drop as Southend residents stop paying twice for their internet connection. Meanwhile Southend council wonders why the the internet is so damn slow.

Tattyfalarr said...

Next up: Any town can be made to look so much nicer by simply polishing the dog turds.

See ? I'm a Forward-Thinker too..

Lynne said...

Head-in-clouds?

Only if we are talking what is emitted from their collective bums.

RantinRab said...

Dear the Council, (any council),

Sweep the streets, empty the bins etc. That's your function.

Spare cash? Give it back to the tax payer.

Yours etc,

pissed off.

microdave said...

"Free" wireless internet has been tried before - we had a one such network a few years ago. However "funding" (i.e. taxpayers cash) was only for a trial period, and the system never worked properly. When it was running the maximum speed was limited to 500Kb, which is slower than 3G can acheive these days.

JuliaM said...

"Next up: Profits at BT etc drop as Southend residents stop paying twice for their internet connection. Meanwhile Southend council wonders why the the internet is so damn slow."

Heh!

"Sweep the streets, empty the bins etc. That's your function."

Ah, if only it was scaled back to that... :(

"When it was running the maximum speed was limited to 500Kb, which is slower than 3G can acheive these days."

Yup! I think this is worse than the electric bikes idea, but it's a close race, to be sure..!