Monday 18 November 2013

Free Wi-Fi coming to Farnborough Town Centre

Coming to Farnborough soon

Your local Councillors are not only keen to personally keep in touch with residents using the latest cutting edge technology, but are please to support the introduction of free Wi-Fi in our town centre that will help residents stay in touch with us and each other.

This is being funded by our town centre partners and the council, and will hopefully be completed in time for Christmas. 

Working all year round for residents - not just election time.


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

What guarantees do we have that neither the so-called unnamed partners nor the Council are monitoring this wifi traffic?

Is this a con, provide loads of personal information to gain the right to log in?

It will take a little more than free wifi to bring people into the Farnburger town centre.

What are people expected to do, sit on the uncomfortable benches and freeze in the cold?

So, I take a trip into the town, just so I can balance my laptop on my lap, whilst sitting on the uncomfortable park benches?

And run the risk of some yob stealing it.

And where do I plug it in?

And how much is this costing the local taxpayer?

I'd rather have The Tumbledown Dick.

David Clifford said...

Dear half empty life is awful, everyone is against me

It really is not that bad, and these things are done working with local retailers thus keeping costs minimal.

Many of my family and friends that shop in Farnborough will be using it while enjoying a snack in between picking up bargains at some great shops that we have.

I have no problem sharing a little unimportant contact information. Occasionally used by our local hard working retailers to keep me advised now and again of special events and bargains - which an optimist like me enjoys.

So cheer up, you're living in a free country that millions in the world would give their right arm to live in.

Get rid of the venom and make some place for a little love in your heart, a little optimism, a sparkle of joy.

Perhaps you could start by just telling us all what you love about this area, and why you live here?

Unknown said...

I'm amazed at the negativity about this on the Rushmoor Facebook page and here.

Give people something positive, and they complain. I suppose you can't please any of these people any of the time. They will just make their own lives miserable by being miserable.

Unknown said...

I'm amazed at the negativity about this on the Rushmoor Facebook page and here.

Give people something positive, and they complain. I suppose you can't please any of these people any of the time. They will just make their own lives miserable by being miserable.

Anonymous said...

From a comment you have made, it looks like it is an information gathering exercise, with information to be shared with local retailers.

"It really is not that bad, and these things are done working with local retailers thus keeping costs minimal. ... I have no problem sharing a little unimportant contact information. Occasionally used by our local hard working retailers to keep me advised now and again of special events and bargains"

This begs the question: What local retailers? Or have you not noticed, since the town centre has been trashed, nearly all the local retailer have been driven out?

In other words, information will be shared with the down market chains now taking over Farnborough.

If, I wanted to share information with local retailers, I would walk in and talk to them.

Great shops, what great shops? Poundland, 99p Store, Starbucks, Costa, soon maybe a bingo hall.

Difficult to find anything positive to say about Farnborough, not when we have a council and developers doing their best to destroy the town centre.

Maybe you have not noticed, four more local businesses to be destroyed at Firgrove Parade, healthy trees cut down, green space to be destroyed.

I suggest you get out and about a bit more, as those who have the means do, indeed anywhere other than Farnborough or Aldershot. Try visiting Farnham, Godalming and Guildford, where you can find great shops, where they value green space and their heritage, where you can find indie coffee shops, places serving good food.

I daresay you will be joining the local council and the Farnborough Society and opposing the Village Green application to protect the last remaining green space in the town centre, as I am sure you will wish, as they do, to see it concreted over and more ugly buildings erected, more trees cut down.

Next thing you will be telling us, you and your cronies acted to save The Tumbledown Dick.

But not to worry, you can always rely on the support of the local town troll, the closest we seem to have to a village idiot.

Andy Clark said...

I do not need free wifi in the town centre, but for those who need or want it then it could be of benefit, as long as it is done properly.

Personally I use quite a lot of false profile information on social media such as Facebook not because I am some kind of keyboard cowboy trying to hide behind a fake account but simply because I am very particular about who I let into my life, my real friends know me, Trolls, Marketing companies, retailers, etc are not my friends, and I do not want to be involved in targeted marketing.

However if wifi is monitored and information shared then that is yet another reason to not use it.

Simon Taylor it would appear that you are happy with the free wifi, that is fine for you and I would say possibly some just like to moan, but there are people in this town who are going to be suspicious and negative because they do not feel engaged and the council needs to think about engendering trust.

Now David Clifford, or is it Cllr, please forgive me I am really not sure if this blog is your personal blog as a private individual or a Cllr, you ask the question why do I like this area, ok here we go:

Good friends and family live here

It is a short train ride to London

It is not far from interesting countryside

It is not far from the coast.

I would also like to add that it has a depth and breadth of interesting shopping, entertainment, pubs, restaurants, etc. Note carefully I would like to say that but sadly I cannot, I currently feel that I have to go elsewhere. Now I know there are those, including Simon Taylor, that would say that what property developers or companies want to do is largely out of the hands of the council but there are numerous examples of councils throughout the company who have shown a much greater degree of dynamic thought and decision making.

So perhaps rather than just asking people to stop being negative and focus on what they like in the town, perhaps the council could also focus on connecting with the nay sayers, the content, the retailers and the shoppers, the entertainers and the audiences and work on making this a borough to be proud of.

Andy Clark said...

I wish I could edit blog comments, second to last paragraph for 'company' please read 'country'

Anonymous said...


According to the local rag which our councillor brags or is it gloats he does not read:

“The project will also allow opportunities for the council to generate income from the service by charging retailers in the town centre to send promotional and marketing e-mails and text messages to customers who sign up for the free Wi-Fi.”

It turns out the free wifi is not free at all, we pay with our local taxes, we then pay again with our personal data being sold.

Personal data on visitors to Farnborough being collected, then sold, would appear to be another reason to avoid Farnborough.

Anonymous said...

I read what Andy had to say

"I would also like to add that it has a depth and breadth of interesting shopping, entertainment, pubs, restaurants, etc"

and thought either he is being sarcastic or he is writing about some place else, anywhere other than Farnburger.

Then I read the second sentence

"Note carefully I would like to say that but sadly I cannot, I currently feel that I have to go elsewhere."

I agree, anywhere other than Farnborough or Aldershot

We had a group of people who were prepared to help rebuild Farnborough, undo the decades of damage done by a council of clueless imbeciles, who are so out of touch with reality, they seem to inhabit another planet, but what happened, they were smeared, the council fell over backwards to destroy The Tumbledown Dick.