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# MJR: The Phone Coop
![photo](../../mjr2002.jpg) I'm a member of and [agent AG471 for the Phone
Coop,](http://www.ttllp.co.uk/phone) which is a consumer cooperative the
provides telephone lines, calls and broadband service to customers in the UK.
### Annual Meeting
##### Posted by mjr 2008-02-15 (permalink)
![agmphoto](http://mjr.towers.org.uk/blog/2008/tpcagm.jpg) Saturday 2 February
2008 was the annual meeting of [the Phone Coop (agent
link).](http://www.ttllp.co.uk/phone) I travelled to Chipping Norton for it
and took a few abbreviated notes, which I've expanded slightly here. Ask
questions if you want, but it's already fading in my memory:-
Local Loop Unbundling workshop: 20 years of calls for it. 1999 ofcom announced
01 eu announced. 05 threat to breakup BT. 06 openreach split. By 2007-04 there
were 2million unbundled. Distribution points and cabinets. Exchange may make
even cheaper faster video. TPC LLU should launch this summer. Should take
minutes to transfer. Equivalence problems - want evidence of when BT is
preferred. Alarm lines: coop unable to take some.
Broadband workshop: at year 2000 launch was a .5M service for GBP 40pcm. Now
charge represents use. The coop has 4 ADSL specialists and it accounts for
15pc of income. Bought in three parts: tails are the links to the customers,
bandwidth is then 155 or 622M fused 60m base plus extra. Home contention is
50:1, business is 20:1. Available in bundles. My.phone.coop offers a usage
view with only a day's delay - might be a first for retail broadband.
Ambassadors workshop: Harness cooperative difference. Customers can help to
get more customers. Possibly give half our local adverts to our phone agency.
Interaction with agent scheme unknown yet. Someone asked about running cinema
ads.
AGM: intros apologies evaluations mugs window stickers 1b 565m mins. Directors
report record sales and growth. Profit again. Service progress: 2nd of 19 in
Which surveys. Sven is new manager. Midcounties. Sustainability fund.
Finances. Highest dividend. Sales mix changed kind rental growth. Costs down
200k. 9k postage saving. Record balance sheet. Recruiting membership manager
and secretary. Currently 6735 members. Negotiating .5k sales acquisition - no
info to members yet as commercially sensitive. Shortlisted for green business
awards on 12 march.
Questions: Mobiles? high volume only economic. What is cws? Cooperative
Wholesale Society, part of the Cooperative Group. Member profile. Coop
purchases. Diversity. Southern acquisitions? Regulator Dependent. Name.
Biodiesel. Satisfaction, corp members, large corp custs. Miles travelled.
Walking payments. Group promotion of AOL is annoying. Third party card
discouraged? Member-account links. Larger affinity. Works bus. 1 against
scrutineer. Directors spend on average 4 hours a week on the coop.
[Pete Boyd](http://thegoldenear.org) commented:
> "Thanks for this, I found it informative.
>
> For anyone interested in the my.phone.coop that MJRay mentions, which I was
but found the domain name didn't work, you have to go to
"
and his later comment added:-
> "Actually, will get you there."
[Comment form for non-frame browsers](../../comp/respond.pl).
Comments are moderated (damn spammers) but almost anything sensible gets
approved (albeit eventually). If you give a web address, I'll link it. I won't
publish your email address unless you ask me to, but I'll email you a link
when the comment is posted, or the reason why it's not posted.
This is copyright 2008 MJ Ray. See fuller notice on [front page](/).