Topic: ALS and Broadband
At various points in this discussion (and in relation to G5) mention has been made of slow broadband speeds. These may be behind some (but certainly not all) of the problems we have experienced with G5, and if ALS is to replace G5 we don't want the problems to be retained.
The map at http://maps.thinkbroadband.com/?#!lat=5 … t-notspots makes clear the position as regards most of Scotland.
If sites work quickly and efficiently in most of England, that is no guide to how they will work in the 'not-spots' in Scotland - the place for which ALS is designed, the whole of the country, not just the Central Belt. I am sitting in one of these 'not-spots', and if I get 500Kb/s it is a good day. That is why I would far rather have a site which ditched all the digital bling and just gave me a page of (useful and informative) text and a static OSGR-based grid map. Others in even-less-well served parts of Scotland would sell their kids for 500Kb/s.
To the IT team, please:
1 - be aware of the technical environment that potential users of ALS are working in;
2 - throughout the site, assess whether any content will perform adequately in these conditions;
3 - redesign the content appropriately, and ask those of us who live and work in rural Scotland if it works for us;
4 - acknowledge that these points have been logged for action;
5 - post here when any changes have been implemented.
M.