WHO NEEDS TELSTRA?

by Max Nichols Meredith
Nimbin. ULURUBA!
18th July 2006

'Tother day I heard the Local ABC news tell us that Telstra has decided to retrench, release or sack 43 "Field Technicians" from their "North Coast" regional operations.

Alas! Me thinks....? 'Ere's an opportunity!

So, I grabbed me pen, and this is what dribbled out the end.....

"Northern Rivers Telephony Incorporated"!

(O’ course, North Coasters would call their Local Company “North Coast Telephony Incorporated”)

I say, you Forty-three!? I'd reckon that right-now there's a few of you who are questioning your allegiances to Telstra, yes-no?

Hmmm..., If you all live roughly in the same region, and have a collection of skills and talents worth applying to the Best Possible Future, for your income, and for your grandkids, then why not COMBINE to form a "Local Telephony Co-Operative"?

Such a Local business telephony-NEEDS model, would operate on-the-basis of being free of having to interminably FOLLOW the trends of excessive corporate product "push-marketing", which entails constant updating of qualifications AND PRODUCTS (often on the dump after one battery-cycle), in a no-end-no-win situation for the techies (for forever "uptraining"), for the shop/business-owner, and usually for the customer as well (for their having to keep updating hardware etc, to maintain "service and parts availability", etc).

Of the North-Coast Telstra-"43" such an idea might appeal to 20, perhaps only 6-or-7? But even in 6-or-7 highly-trained ex-Telstra field technicians, there is a wealth of knowledge on telephony issues, and on state-of-the-art models, technology and products, which alone could be a strong Founding-seed for a Local, NEEDS-BASED Telephony/Internet/Televisual/etc/etc., Company.

(Admittedly of course, it could also be the seed for yet another ruthless tyrrannical corporation....... like Telstra!)

"Northern Rivers/North Coast Telephony Incorporated"

(N.R.T.I./N.C.T.I.)

Focus: Co-Operative Company, with "Locals-Network": a Committee or Board of Locals establishing "Northern Rivers/North Coast Counter-Culture Infrastructure Model" which considers to the hardcopy-plan stage, the region's infrastructure needs when affecting or being affected-by a "Local Telephony/Internet" organism such-as the model loosely detailed herein.

Design of business and market around the needs and wanted-products (also in terms of possible energy supply from the customer/networks) of Community Groups, particularly of the "Multiple Occupancy", "Small Business Co-Operative" and small-or-large "Co-Operative Farming" structures. Etcetera....

Focus: NEEDS-BASED Local Telephony/Internet/etc., service and product-provision-and-support company, but designed to Work in Co-Operation with "Alternative", classicly "Northern Rivers, Rainbow Region-types" of Co-Operative Communities - "AGRARIAN" Communities, Networks, Groups, according to their requirements.

I feel sure that today an inquiry would find more and more people, particularly from rural and regional areas are awake to the "con" of modern-technology and it's marketing juggernautssss, and that in fact they DO NOT need OR WANT 99% of what is constantly thrust down their throats to "BUY!", on televerts etc.

Rural and regional Australia may well be the last bastion of a relatively, even Reasonably "Peaceful" or "Tranquil" Human life, and I feel, many People "out there" would prefer to have the option of rejecting the "modern" fancy, throw-away techno-junk for some of the older, tried-and-true, "perfectly suitable to our needs" type of telephonic and internet bits-and-pieces.

Older internet hardware and software isn't old enough yet, so state-of-the-art may well have it's place. However, I wonder how far we have to go in things like the storage media technology. CD-ROMs are dated and flawed, one of the many furphies flogged to us. "Memory-sticks" maybe "the best yet" in storage, but what awaits us around the next "new-releases edition"?

It begs the question of whether there is a market in the making, maintenance and retailing of durable products for such markets, which don't need to be updated bi-yearly, yet which provide what the Human needs and wants, affordably and with a Conscience?

With the Proper Planning and Management, there is an immense market for the talented-and-enterprising, but this time, with this type of model, I dare to say that such as seven-or-forty-three talented-and-skilled Telstra field technicians, plus the right-minded Locals with the Appropriate business-and-other-accumen, the employed and served (the Workers and the Customers) would have control over these types of needs, and know that they are running THE BEST-PRACTICE BUSINESS MODEL - Ethical.


"Agrarian" might seem to be beside the point, but also might indicate what "potential market" awaits further-afield in regional Australia, if this can evolve as a "Trend-setting" model.

In grabbing any "market", the first-kid-on-the-block with a Good, new idea/product, has an HUGE advantage over later-comers, and can thus "increase thine profit" by selling your accrued knowledge on other regions starting the same type of venture.

FINANCE? Start “Minimalist”. Immediately begin to gather all necessary info, market knowledge, laws, business plan options, capital-and-infrastructure assessment and costs.

Define PRIORITIES into “folios”. Elect by “Skills and Talents” three members to each folio, aligning where pertinent one person on two or more folio-trios.

The “Governing Board” of the company, being a Co-Operative, would be an ALL-MEMBER board, (which could be classically “interesting” in terms of past experience in Community Committees….?) with trusted non-member advisors.

It’s important to “Set Your TOP GOAL”, and to be able to clearly define it, AND refer to it when planning considerations hit a wall. Never to say however, “stick with ONE PLAN”. Everything today is flexible, especially in business futures, where it is a must to-be-flexible yourself. So too must the plan be flexible, which may be a tautology?

The TOP GOAL would be, seemstomeee…, to Attain to the most Efficient-thus-Economical (for All Parties), most Sustainable, “State-of-the-Art-WITH-NEED Telephony-Internet Service (and whichever “ancillary” services and products are found to have a place).

Is it time for a Region, or a whole motley-bunch of Rural Communities WORLDWIDE, to say “HANG-ON” (or “hang-up”?) to the unconsidered, unrestrained perpetual motion of “technology and inventiveness”?

Maybe, with six, seven, twenty or forty-three unemployed field technicians, an Intelligent and Wise Community, Region or Paradisical River Valley, Working Co-Operatively on this general concept, could FINALLY appeal to the Customers with what THE CUSTOMERS want, and need? Such a company might find many new customers coming out of the forests and woodwork, as well as from the smelly-cities?

As I max no difference, I put this idea out to the Ether for whoever has eyes for a magnificent opportunity....... It would be nice to see someone or many from Nimbin to have a look at the concept, unemployed field techies or not.....


SEE! www.landandlabourglobal.blogspot.com