VOLUME 15 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2016

The ConnectionOne Community

This ‘N That

Scholarships for Seniors We will soon be sending our information for annual scholarships for Guthrie Center high school seniors.

Scholarships are available from Guthrie Center Communications, Aureon, the Foundation for Rural Service and Iowa Communications Alliance.

Check with your school’s guidance counselor or call our office for more information as the school year proceeds.

Directory Listings It is that time of year again when we look to update our directory listings. If you have any changes or corrections you would like to make, please let us know so we can include those in our next directory.

Holidays Observed Our office will be closed:• Nov 24 & 25 for Thanksgiving• Dec 26 for Christmas• Jan 2 for New Years

See page 2 for details >>>You!

A Holiday Gift for

Get FiberFast Internet or FiberTV Upgrade

FREE for 30 Days

Save time & stress this holiday season at SolutionsMany families have begun a tradition of buying a larger family gift instead of many smaller gifts for one another. Often, those larger gifts are electronics like HDTVs, surround sound systems, computers or other entertainment devices.

Rather than driving to Des Moines, fighting crowds and battling sales people trying to sell you what they bought too many of, consider coming to Solutions in our office in Guthrie Center or on Main Street in Panora. Shopping with us will NOT cost you more & our goal is for you to have a great experience with your technology.

We can help you because we listen to you. Then, we’ll help you consider your options, narrow your choices and make the right selection for your family – all with your budget in mind. The items we have in stock

are priced competitively compared to other stores. We have HDTVs, surround sound systems, computers, tablets, streaming media boxes, Bluetooth speakers, WiFi routers and many more related and similar items.

Most importantly, we do three things others can’t:

1. We explain each product and feature to you in terms you can understand,

2. We can deliver it AND install it if you want,

3. We live and work here too, so we will stand behind our products. We’ll make sure your technology experience is what you want it to be.

Let Solutions be your holiday shopping solution this year. You’ll be happy you did.

BUSINESS HOURSMonday-Friday 9am-5pm

403 State Street in Guthrie Center or 112 East Main Street in Panora

Call us at 641-755-2600

You!A Holiday Gift

for

Upgrade FiberFast

Internet or FiberTV and

Get the Upgrade

FREEfor 30 Days

Offer valid November 1, 2016 thru January 31, 2017. Not all services are available in all areas. Offer valid with qualifying services. Excludes surcharges, taxes, fees, service order and/or installation charges. Standard terms & conditions and service agreements apply; see office for details.

No matter if you knead the dough with your Grandma, make it yourself or just participate in the consumption of the finished product, holidays often stir up memories of homemade bread, pies, and cookies.

Now through January, we have a different kind of ‘dough’ for you. With it, you can upgrade your

current products or services. You’ll need faster Internet to watch

baking tutorials or stream your favorite shows. Or, maybe your family can’t be together for your gathering. With faster Internet you can FaceTime or Skype with them, and it may feel like they’re right there.

Ask us about our FiberTV channel lineup, TV Everywhere or our FiberFast bundles with Internet, TV and phone, which give you the best value and the most Internet speed.

The ConnectionNovember 2016 l page 2

Annual payment policy information notificationJust a few notes on bill payments:

• Bills are mailed the first each month

• Your payment is due on receipt

• Bills are past due after the 20th of the month. Afterwards, a reminder is sent out and customers have 5 days to pay or they will be disconnected.

• Bills that are not paid by the close of business day on the 20th will be

charged a late payment fee of $5

• All unpaid bills are subject to disconnection. Reconnect of service will not be made unless payment has been received in our office.

Late payment fees and disconnections not only cost you but it also costs the entire company, which in the end hurts everyone. Please make sure your bills are paid in a prompt and timely manner.

PAYMENT OPTIONS• AutoPay - Setup automatic payments from

bank or credit account monthly

• eBill- View & pay your account online via our website at www.guthriecentercom.com

• Mail Payment - Make sure you mail with enough time to reach us by due date

• DropOff- Drop payment at our office

Question: My cellular data plan only allows me to use so much info, does my home or work Internet have limits like that?Answer: If you have our Internet service then the answer is No. Our Internet is unlimited, meaning you can use it all you want and not pay any more per month. Many people are confused between amount of use and the speed of their Internet bandwidth. Think of speed as the size of a water hose. The more speed, the bigger the hose. 5Mb

is a garden hose and 50 Mb is a fire hose. Since our Internet is unlimited, you can think of it as the ocean that will never run out of water – no matter how big the hose is you are using to drain it. Comparatively, a cellular plan is like a bathtub full of water.

Question: What is streaming and does it use my Internet or TV service?Answer: Streaming uses your Internet service. Since steaming allows you to watch TV shows or movies it feels like it would be a TV product but it’s not. There

are a number of ways to stream video. You can use a SmartTV, a streaming media box like a Roku or a game system like Xbox. Each of those devices may have a built-in app, like Netflix or Amazon (which are just two examples) which allow you to watch TV shows, movies or documentaries.

Streaming providers started by showing programming from traditional sources like NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox. Now, they are starting to produce more of their own programming.

Questions & answers about Internet, cellular, streaming & your needs

Curtis ThornberryTechnology Development Director

Tech Corner

Be cautious and vigilant with your securityAs a nation we are shopping and doing more business online, so it pays to keep a few things in mind to protect your money, your identity and your information.

1) Use strong passwords and don’t use the same password for every account you have. Yes, they can be hard to remember, but if someone is stealing from you or using your identity, it would be more of a hassle. Use a notebook or a password manager to keep track of your passwords; it will save you a lot of time.

2) Be cautious about the apps you use on your tablet or smartphone. Not all apps are created equally, and some are not as

secure as they should be. There are too many to

talk about individually, with more coming everyday, but it is

worth reminding you to set your banking and other similar apps to lock immediately, just in case you misplace your device or it is stolen.

3) Back up your data. Save yourself some headaches and some tears and make sure the information on your computer, tablet and smartphone are backed up. If you don’t know how to do this, ask a trusted source for help – today! You will not regret taking time to get this right.

4) Be cautious of public WiFi networks. Yes, they are convenient, and can keep data usage off your cellular plan, but some public networks are unsecure.

Don’t ever shop, do banking or other financial work on a public network. To be safe, use your secured home or work WiFi or a physical connection as much as possible.

Congratulations!We were happy to again host the Bill Riley Talent Show during the kick off of the Guthrie County Fair on Thursday evening, Sept 1st. Thanks to all who participated.

Sprout Winners (Ages 2-12) L to R: Alexandra Rademacher (3rd), Maesi Caes (2nd) & Tony Song (1st).

Senior Winners (Ages 15-21) L to R: Lucas Gremler (3rd), Emma Negrete (2nd) & Abigail Thompson (1st).

communications services even the playing field and allow you to start a company or work from where you want to live. Today, communications are at the core of

economic development.

Touching Lives - Work/life balance is harder to find than ever before due to the connected nature of our world. So, if you can live the

lifestyle you want for you and your family here, and not sacrifice your professional life, the coop has achieved one of its goals.

Local Ownership – In our case, all our members, employees and directors are

At our core, we are a cooperative: a company formed to serve a community. While Guthrie Center it not officially part of the coop, the company and people who serve you are, and we can’t turn off something that is part of us by driving a few miles west. In fact, it was your need for better communications and our economic development relationships, which drew us to build fiber-to-the-home in Guthrie Center.

Economic Impact – We came to town to have an economic impact in the region, and it’s still true today. Great

Why a communications coop matters to you today

local, so decision-making is also local and made with your long-term needs in mind. We understand the values and ideals of rural Iowa and we make decisions based on those values that we share.

AndrewRandolGeneral Manager

“If you can live the lifestyle

you want here, and not

sacrifice your professional

life, the coop has

achieved one of its goals.”

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Facebook.com/guthriecentercom

403 State Street

Guthrie Center, IA 50115

Phone 641.332.2000

Fax 641.332.2001

Email gccom@netins.net

Web guthriecentercom.com

Guthrie Center Communications . . .

a partner in your future

Have you setup an eBilling account?

eBilling is the fastest, most economic way to view & pay your bills. Set up your free account at

www.guthriecentercom.com

Congratulations!Congratulations to Carol Weigel

who was the winner of our August newsletter contest.

Complete the form at left, send it in and you could be

the next winner!

Hav

e w

e go

t a c

onte

st fo

r yo

u! We know you love contests and this one is especially for our loyal newsletter readers. Answer all these questions correctly and you will be entered in our quarterly drawing for a $10 bill credit.

List one reason to shop at Solutions. _________________________________

The Amazon Echo can give sports scores. p True p False

Name a way to stream content. ______________________________________

You should use the same password for all accounts. p True p False

Name __________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________

Phone __________________________________________________________

Clip and return with your bill, drop off or mail by November 25 to: Guthrie Center Communications 403 State Street, Guthrie Center, IA 50115One winner chosen at random per quarter. Contest open to all GCC customers 18 & over. Applicants can win once in a 12 month period. Other restrictions may apply.

Thanks to all who stopped for cookies during our Customer Appreciation month.

Congratulations to our drawing winners!5 Port Desktop Charger ................................Jim Robson

Google Chromecast............................... Pat Schwaderer

JBL Wireless Speaker .....................Shawn Stonehocker

Over 400 bags of popcorn were given away FREE to

spectators at the home football game on October 7

GCC proudly supports Charger Activities

All Year Long!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) by definition, is “a machine that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of success at some goal”.

In today’s society, AI devices are starting to emerge and become more and more popular, making life easier and convenient.

The Amazon Echo and newly released Dot, offer consumers a voice activated home device, which does a variety of tasks such as playing music in a genre of your choosing, answers questions about current events, reads audio books and gives sports results.

Google, among others, is working on AI technology for self driving cars. They are touting independence, safety and giving time back to the driver/passenger.

Today, at least, we already utilize the benefits of AI in our smartphones and smart devices like tablets, computers and household appliances like vacuums, thermostats and light bulbs. The benefits AI devices bring will continue to grow.

While at home, all these devices and technologies require a faster and more reliable Internet connection...and its available today! Just give us a call.

Artificial Intelligence makes life better

We Celebrated Our Biggest Asset in

September . . . YOU!