North
East Telecommunications Co-operative
www.netc.coop
North East Telecommunications Co-operative Ltd (NetC)
is an online service provider located in North East Victoria offering community
and business solutions - to enable access, communication exchange, business
systems development and information brokerage.
Established in 1999, NetC is
NetC continues to primarily provide online services to
North East Victoria but has now expanded its capacity and is able to offer
Internet access to 98% of
What is NetC?
• a market driven onine
services provider;
• a facilitator of controlled
change;
• a financially viable
co-operative;
• a people centred and people
caring organisation;
• building regional relationships for mutual benefit.
NetC’s
We provide outstanding alternatives in:
A comprehensive range of online services
Technological leadership
Business and community engagement and support
Strong relationships with members - using
a locally accountable co-operative structure encouraging active member participation for
NetC and community growth
Values
NetC values self-help, personal responsibility,
democracy, equality and solidarity. NetC members believe in the ethical values
of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.
Participation
NetC has around 500 co-operative members, and more than
2500 users. NetC is developing a range of member benefit packages such as free
online hours and access to free software. Its aim is to convert all users into
co-operative members – educating and encouraging them to actively participate
and share in the ownership and control of the development of online services in
North East Victoria. NetC has developed a community partnership and business
partnership packages to ensure that support for these groups is provided in the
form of low cost access to online services and training as well as
opportunities for independent revenue through commissions and other rewards for
the referral of new NetC Members/customers.
Governance
NetC is governed by a Board of seven directors, with
extensive experience in business management and a sound knowledge of issues
facing small business and community organisations in
regional
NetC has significant experience within the areas of
electronic commerce and the Internet, being an active provider of evolving
e-commerce solutions since its inception. It has focused on providing quality
network facilities for economic, community and cultural development, with an
emphasis on community inclusiveness. NetC has developed two unique open source
online publishing environments to support this development:
•
NetCo-operation for Community portals
• NetC Business
for self-created and managed ecommerce websites
NetC has a staff of eight. Executive Officer Peter
Jamieson, has been with the organisation since its inception, and can be
credited with providing the vision that sees the co-operative where it stands
today, as Australia’s only telecommunications co-operative with an expected annual
budget in 2003-2004 approaching 1 million $A.
Research at NetC
www.corr.netc.coop
NetC is the proponent behind the establishment of the Centre for Online Regional Research
(CORR) – a not for profit public benefit institution. Although based in
Wangaratta, CORR is co-operating with a variety of researchers and community
groups across North East Victoria, building appropriate linkages across
regional and rural
NetC has maintained its strong local market position
by building on its community linkages. NetC does not have the financial
reserves to compete on price alone in a marketplace
were a plethora of ISP’s offer local call access at ever decreasing
subscription rates. NetC competes by building and sustaining local
community and business infrastructure and building a reputation in the local
community as an honest broker and as a quality solution provider. The
telecommunications market in
The future
Things are looking up for NetC, with a stabilising of
the financial situation coupled with a number of new developments that promise
to provide significant benefits to those who choose to become members of the
co-operative. NetC believes it demonstrates an important alternative for rural
Australians access to online services.
Rules of
North East Telecommunications Co-operative Ltd
Contact information
North East Telecommunications Co-operative Ltd
//90-100
Telephone: 03 5722 2563 Facsimile: 03 57 223004
Email: info@netc.coop