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FM taking responsibility for Meetinghouse Internet Connections

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:13 am
by johnshaw
I haven't seen it discussed, or maybe I missed it. I've been working with our FM group over the last couple of months to move the payments of our building internet connectivity to their control. The attached pdf was just forwarded out to our Stake Presidents and has some good information for all STS to know and understand.

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:19 am
by lajackson
JohnShaw wrote:I haven't seen it discussed, or maybe I missed it.
It was alluded to, because it had not yet been officially announced. Hurray! It is official.

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:22 am
by aebrown
JohnShaw wrote:I haven't seen it discussed, or maybe I missed it. I've been working with our FM group over the last couple of months to move the payments of our building internet connectivity to their control. The attached pdf was just forwarded out to our Stake Presidents and has some good information for all STS to know and understand.
I've known this was coming for some time, but I didn't know when it would be implemented. I know that the Church's Meetinghouse Technology team is working on creating some documentation for the LDSTech wiki.

That's interesting that there is no general communication, but that it is being left to the FM groups to communicate with each stake. Certainly for existing Internet service, there will have to be specific communication as to how to transfer the billing from the stake to the FM group. We've already paid the bill for our January service -- I wonder if we'll get a refund from the FM group? Lots of details to work out....

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:43 am
by johnshaw
I am mixed about this, one great thing in the document is that the Church will be able to utilize an economy of scale purchasing and probably save some money. The difference in ability of the FM group is the downside, if you have an FM group that is very skittish about technology, I'd be afraid of adding them to the mix. We'll see, I hope the benefits outweigh the difficulties... Your FM experience will vary..

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:54 am
by russellhltn
JohnShaw wrote:The difference in ability of the FM group is the downside, if you have an FM group that is very skittish about technology, I'd be afraid of adding them to the mix.
The concern is understandable. So far, my FM experience with technology is that they order it, deliver it to the meetinghouse, and let me (STS) take it from there. That is, they are more of a purchasing agent. They have enough other responsibilities, they'll be happy to let the STS do all the technical stuff.

My biggest consern would be if for some reason you need something better then "standard". Such as a faster connection.


JohnShaw wrote:Your FM experience will vary..
Indeed.

Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:36 pm
by lajackson
RussellHltn wrote:My biggest consern would be if for some reason you need something better then "standard". Such as a faster connection.
Our FM Group was told that every meetinghouse was to be prepared and wired for building to building broadcast and communication. That should drive the "standard" a bit.

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:45 am
by harddrive
lajackson wrote:Our FM Group was told that every meetinghouse was to be prepared and wired for building to building broadcast and communication. That should drive the "standard" a bit.

I heard about this and worked with my FM group to get two of our building transitioned. The other building in our stake were already being paid for by the FM group because of the Family History Centers (FHC) in them or the FM Group.

In my stake, I am the stake technology specialist and my FM group know when the limit of their technology goes and so they rely on me to tell them what is needed. I work with them and get things done.

This is a great because it helps out the stake to focus on things like webcasting, video conferencing and other technology related items.

Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:38 pm
by jasonhyer
I was working with my FM group to try and switch internet providers last fall to make it more cost effective when they came out all the sudden and aske me to stop as they had heard that this might be happening. I believe overall, this is a very positive step. I've been a stake clerk for nearly 8 years and it has really been a blessing to see the changes in technology over that time. With the web tools that the church is working on, it only makes sense to now treat Internet access like any other utility. I also appreciate that this will help our budget.

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 12:30 pm
by busman
From a Church viewpoint, I expect this will save money (but probably not much) both in monthly costs and in support, particularly in stakes weak in technology resources. From an FM view, it means more to do. How much depends on their flexibility and cooperation with STSs in their area. I expect it will also mean opportunities for local tech professionals as some FMs hire them to do the work. For those of us who have been doing the work, I expect it will mean less to do, less flexibility and much more standardization.

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 12:53 pm
by aebrown
busman wrote:From a Church viewpoint, I expect this will save money (but probably not much) both in monthly costs and in support, particularly in stakes weak in technology resources. From an FM view, it means more to do. How much depends on their flexibility and cooperation with STSs in their area. I expect it will also mean opportunities for local tech professionals as some FMs hire them to do the work. For those of us who have been doing the work, I expect it will mean less to do, less flexibility and much more standardization.
I didn't read the policy change quite that way. The FM group will be more involved in the procurement and setting standards, but Stakes still have the responsibility to install Internet connections. In the past, I've been through the process of initial installation of an Internet connection in an FHC, and then changing the ISP. I worked closely with the FM group because they handle the billing and contract end, but I did all the technical work. As near as I can tell, the only significant change here is that the other Meetinghouse Internet installations will now be handled that same way, and that the Firewall is obtained through the FM Group, rather than directly by the stake.

I would think it would be quite rare for an FM group to need to hire local tech professionals, since the role of the STS hasn't changed much at all.