Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
August 13, 2009

Attending:

• Marilyn MacDonald
• Michael Marshall
• Kent Murray
• Johnathan Thibodeau
• Joe Thomas
• Alan Turner
• Jeff Warnica
• Andrew D. Wright

Regrets:

• Richard Connolly
• Bernie Hart
• Mary Rigby

Minutes of last meeting

Minutes of July 2009 meeting circulated by Mary (online) were approved, moved by Alan seconded by Joe.

Committee Reports

Financial Report

Alan submitted the financial statement for July 2009 doing better than he had expected. At the Board's request, Alan performed a 'what if' financial analysis to determine the cost if CCN had to stop providing services. The Board agreed that CCN is in no way obligated to provide financial restitution. Nevertheless, the Board wanted to do whatever was in its power to attempt to give members a pro-rated payment based on time left in their membership. The shortfall was projected to be $13,890. Alan moved acceptance of his report, seconded by Jeff - so moved.

Technical Report

Good news : received long term loan of an almost new server from Dal Math department .

Bad news: Too many members give out their password too readily - even write it on renewal cheques !

A fraudulent email, claiming to be from Chebucto, was enough for several members to give their password, as a result our service was flooded with phish and so Aliant delayed our email traffic for a week or more.

One experienced member left his website wide open to a take over and as a result a fraudulent site claiming to be Bank of America was found to be operating from Chebucto.

A stern email letter will go out to all members, laying down the law, not to ever give out their password to anyone, because of the consequences for all members of Chebucto from such lapses in one or two members' personal security.

Our wireless antenna - loss of signal - weather has corroded line out from it. If we can't repair, we must buy a new antenna ($200)- but in any case, lesson is we'd do better job than the professionals in seeing that this line out was well protected from weather.

Hands on meeting, on roof, with head of Templeton Properties, re Fenwick Tower went very well.

Dal has turned on our relay, so Templeton can hookup to our system. Tech Report approved, moved by Michael, seconded by Joe.

Wifi update

Moved by Jeff, seconded by Kent, Board approved motion to spend up to $200 on antenna but keep an eye on amount of staff time eaten up on this project.

Joe Howe Manor

Approach to HRM re our 15th anniversary

Website policy

Town Hall Meeting - Future of the Internet

During wide-ranging discussion the Board felt a much much broader emphasis on the rights of all citizens to a internet that is open and transparent to all citizens might make for a Town Hall Session that would attract a wide audience and remind NS government why community internet providers like Chebucto are worth keeping around to offer an alternative to commercial providers.

Moved by Alan, seconded by Kent, that Andrew, Jeff and Michael form a committee to find partners, guest panelists and themes for Town Hall Session, to tie in with our 15 year anniversary. (This committee met immediately after the Board Meeting and thought something under the rubric of "Who is Shaping Your Internet Future: are emerging digital monopolies threatening our civil liberties?" would be appropriate.)

Topic might interest the Dal SUB VP for External Affairs enough to consider co-sponsoring a meeting in the McInnes Room for mid October.

Other business

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