If there are rooms in your home that get only a weak Wi-Fi connection (or no connection at all), you need our Managed Wi-Fi. This monthly service provides an advanced router for seamless signal continuity and expanded Wi-Fi coverage. It also includes 24/7 remote support for a hassle-free experience. IMPROVE YOUR W-FI EXPERIENCE WITH MANAGED WI-FI. Call Panora Telco at (641) 755-2424 or Guthrie Center Communications at (641) 332-2000 for more details. IS THERE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN YOUR WI-FI? FEBRUARY 2 0 2 2 Cornerstone Group © 2022 114 East Main Street Panora, IA 50216 (641) 755-2424 Online: www.panoratelco.com Office Hours: M–F 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Win a $10 Bill Credit How many connected devices are in the average U.S. household? Answer: _____________________________ Name: ______________________________ Phone:_ _____________________________ Email: _ _____________________________ Clip and return by February 28, 2022 to Panora Telco, 114 East Main Street, Panora, IA 50216 or Guthrie Center Communications, 403 State Street, Guthrie Center, IA 50115. Congratulations to Denise Brobst, the most recent Panora Telco winner; and Charlotte Hunt, the most recent Guthrie Center Communications winner. One winner chosen at random per quarter. Contest open to Panora Telco customers age 18 and over. Applicants can win once per 12-month period. Other restrictions may apply. YOUR QUARTERLY DOSE OF TECHNOLOGY INSPIRATION Connections 403 State Street Guthrie Center, IA 50115 (641) 332-2000 Online: www.guthriecentercom.com Office Hours: M–F 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. but closed 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. for lunch
PANORA TELCO • ( 641 ) 755-2424 | GUTHRIE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS • ( 641 ) 332-2000 Rhonda Stark Won the TV in Our Christmas Drawing Thanks to everyone who stopped by our Christmas Open House at the Panora Telco office in December. We enjoyed seeing our customers and giving you each a free gift. Rhonda Stark was the lucky winner in the drawing for a 55-inch Samsung SmartTV. Congratulations, Rhonda! We hope you enjoy watching many great TV shows, games, and movies on its screen in the years ahead. Applications Due in April for Three $500 Scholarships If there are high school seniors in your family, let them know about the 2022 scholarships available from Panora Telco and Guthrie Center Communications. Panora Telco will award two $500 scholarships and Guthrie Center Communications will award one $500 scholarship. To be eligible, applicants must: • Be a graduating senior from Panora High School or AC/GC High School. • Be accepted by an accredited two- or four-year college or university, or a vocational/technical school. • Have at least a C grade point average. Please note this is not a scholarship requiring a 4.0 average. Rather, it’s awarded to deserving students whose academic credentials fall within an average to above-average range. Entries must be received no later than noon on Friday, April 8, 2022. For complete details, applicants should visit their high school counselor’s office. Deloitte, the multinational professional services company, released a 2021 survey that indicates the average U.S. household has 25 connected devices. This is more than double the 11 devices that the average household had in 2019. Included in the survey were laptops, tablets, smartphones, video streaming devices and smart TVs, wireless headphones and earbuds, gaming consoles, smart home devices, fitness trackers, and connected exercise machines. According to Paul Silverglate, vice chairman at Deloitte, the pandemic bolstered the use of connected devices. He was quoted as saying, “The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was like a time machine that suddenly propelled us tens of years into the future. It has changed how we interact with our connected devices, ultimately helping consumers, health care providers, education professionals, technology innovators, and others adapt and thrive in daily life.” An increasing number of activities are happening at home that used to primarily take place out in the world. Your household is probably experiencing this firsthand with online learning and gaming, telecommuting, video conferences, digital shopping for groceries and other everyday items, virtual exercise classes and medical appointments, and online social events. Among the more interesting findings of the Deloitte report: • More than half of U.S. adults had virtual doctor visits, and 82 percent were satisfied with the experience. • More than half of U.S. households have a smartwatch or fitness tracker, and 39 percent of consumers own one personally. People use their gadgets to measure walking steps and athletic performance, track heart health, and monitor sleep and calories. • During the pandemic, 70 percent of consumers started mobile ordering or other smartphone-based retail and expect to continue doing so. • Two-thirds of U.S. households have some type of smart home devices. If your current internet connection isn’t fast enough to accommodate the increased number of devices in your home, we can help. Call Panora Telco at (641) 755-2424 or Guthrie Center Communications at (641) 332-2000 to request an internet speed upgrade. Average U.S. Household Has 25 Connected Devices
Cornerstone Group © 2022 You’ve probably been using Wi-Fi every day for years. But how much do you really know about this internet technology? Check out these fun facts. 1. Part of what made Wi-Fi possible was the 1985 decision by the Federal Communications Commission to open several bands of radio frequencies for use without the need of a government license, thus prompting individuals and organizations to explore a use for these free bands. 2. The early predecessor of Wi-Fi was launched in Hawaii in 1979. The ALOHAnet was a computer networking system that allowed the first public demonstration of a wireless packet data network. It took 20 years before AT&T Corporation and NCR Corporation developed WaveLAN, which is now considered the true predecessor of Wi-Fi. 3. Subsequent names for Wi-Fi were FlankSpeed, DragonFly, WECA, and IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence, before the more consumer-friendly name of Wi-Fi was adopted. 4. Wi-Fi is not an abbreviated form of any other name or term. It was created by the brand consulting firm Interbrand as a pun to the word “Hi-Fi,” meaning “high-fidelity.” 5. The first Wi-Fi logo was based on the Chinese symbol of yin-yang, which refers to the existence of dual forces in harmony. 6. The symbol of a dot with curved lives radiating from it—indicating that you are within Wi-Fi range—was actually a Japanese sticker creation. 7. The first company to promote Wi-Fi was Apple Computers, who included a Wi-Fi airport option on their 1999 iBook computers. 8. Red Roof Inn, the U.S, hotel chain, conducted a survey together with Research+Data Insights that asked 800 economy travelers how important different amenities are to them. The survey concluded that complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi is more important to travelers than good location, parking, or even free breakfast. Would you like help setting up and managing your home’s Wi-Fi network? Call Panora Telco at (641) 755-2424 or Guthrie Center Communications at (641) 332-2000 to sign up for Managed Wi-Fi. 8 Fun Facts About Wi-Fi You May Not Know With eBilling, You Can Pay It Your Way We’re all looking for ways to make life a little easier, and one way Panora Telco and Guthrie Center Communications do that is by offering you free eBilling. With eBilling, you save time andmoney: • No check writing or postage is necessary. • View your current or past bills online anytime you want. • Pay online in seconds with your credit or debit card. • Enjoy security protections via your account number and password. • No need to worry about lost or stolen paper statements. In addition to eBilling, we also offer other convenient payment options so you can “pay it your way.” Choose Automatic Payment to have your Panora Telco or Guthrie Center Communications bill amount automatically deducted from your chosen bank account each month—you don’t have to do a thing! You can also make a credit or debit card payment over the phone by callingour office and providing your card number. To sign up for eBilling, visit www.panoratelco.com or www. guthriecentercom.com and follow the easy step-by-step instructions.
Reminder of the Do Not Call Registry The National Do Not Call Registry lets you indicate you don’t want to receive telemarketing calls. Register your home or mobile phone numbers for free at www.donotcall. gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. After registration, most of these calls should cease within 90 days. However, some calls can continue to be made to you including those from political groups, charities, and companies with whom you’ve had contact. Cornerstone Group © 2022 PANORA TELCO • ( 641 ) 755-2424 | GUTHRIE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS • ( 641 ) 332-2000 How to Safely Clean Your Smartphones Proper cleaning of smartphones is essential to get rid of germs. Plus, it’s more pleasant to use a phone that’s free of dirt and smudges. Before you begin, it’s a good idea to check with the manufacturer of your smartphone for specific cleaning guidance. However, Apple and a number of Android device manufacturers offer similar recommendations: • Power down and unplug your smartphone before cleaning. • Use a soft, lint-free microfiber cloth slightly dampened with a cleaning solution containing 70% isopropyl alcohol or non-abrasive soap and water. • Don’t use straight rubbing alcohol. It can strip the oleophobic and hydrophobic coatings that keep oil and water from damaging your phone’s display and other ports. • Don’t use window or countertop cleaning spray. • Never spray cleaners directly onto your smartphone. It’s important to keep liquids and moisture away from any openings. Another option for day-to-day cleaning is investing in one of the many UV light devices now on the market. These devices sanitize smartphones in minutes, and some of them are also chargers. Are you frustrated by the rising cost of TV service? You’re not alone. So are Panora Telco and Guthrie Center Communications. The network fees that we must pay continue to rise. In fact, these fees have increased at 3½ times the rate of inflation over the past 15 years. We work hard to keep TV rates as affordable as possible, but the deck is stacked against us. Eight giant corporations own or control nearly 90% of today’s TV networks. To increase their revenue, these corporations require local TV providers to carry their less-popular networks as a condition of providing the most popular ones. They use their size and market power to regularly demand higher fees for their programming. As your local TV provider, we absorb a portion of these fee increases and pass along a portion to our customers in the form of rate adjustments. We’ll keep you updated on 2022 changes when we know more. Programmers also control which channels get dropped from TV lineups. Most recently, we were notified that ESPN Classic and NBC Sports Network were being discontinued as of January 1, 2022. ESPN Classic was the place to watch replays of historic and memorable sporting events, and NBC Sports Network was home to NASCAR and the National Hockey League. Both channels will be missed. Why don’t we simply add channels to our lineups that our customers request? It’s not as easy as you might think. For example, Paramount is owned by Viacom. If we wanted to add Paramount, we would be forced to also to add several Viacom channels. These challenges aren’t unique to Panora Telco and Guthrie Center Communications. They’re happening to all local TV providers. We’ll keep fighting for fairness on behalf of you, the TV viewer. Programmers Have Control Over Channels and Network Fees
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