Colo Telephone Company and Central Iowa Broadband (CIB) 303 Main Street / PO Box 315 Colo, IA 50056 Colo Telephone Company: 641-377-2202 CIB: 888-377-0067 Call Before You Dig: Iowa One Call 811 Office Hours: M–F 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Office Closure: Monday, September 4 - Labor Day Email: support@colotel.org Visit Us Online: www.colotel.org Find Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ColoTelCo JOIN US OUT IN THE COMMUNITY Colo Crossroads Festival Friday, July 7 through Sunday, July 9 This year’s theme is “Under Construction.” The event is being held at Hickory Grove Park, and Dueling Pianos will perform Friday at 8:00 pm. Cornerstone Group © 2023 ANNUAL MEETING RECAP AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS The Annual Shareholders Meeting of Colo Telephone Company and CIB was held on March 28, 2023 at the United Methodist Church. Here’s a recap of the meeting’s key activities: • Niland’s Café catered the meal. • Jeff Naig, CPA with FORVIS, reviewed financials. • New General Manager Shane Bellon gave updates on past and future projects. This included the announcement that Colo Telephone Company is now an Authorized Partner with DirectTV Stream. • Rich Mack was elected the new Board President, and Amy Lennie retired from our board after several years of service, including serving as Board President. • New board member Christian Haley was elected to a three-year term. • Deb McIntosh Flaherty and Pat Peakin were reelected to three-year terms. In April, Colo Telephone Company started making contact with South Nevada residents to provide internet service to 30 new unserved locations. Construction is slated to begin in late July. In May, Libby Seyller received our $1,000 Don McIntosh Memorial Scholarship. Libby will attend Iowa State University and major in early childhood education. We’re always looking for ways to bring fast and reliable internet service to underserved areas and are looking forward to a busy year. CONNECTIONS SUMMER 2023 NEWS FROM COLO TELEPHONE AND CENTRAL IOWA BROADBAND Pictured left to right: Board member Tony Kash, Vice President Pat Peakin, Libby Seyller, and President Rich Mack
NATIONAL POTATO DAY IS AUGUST 19 Potatoes are definitely America’s favorite vegetable. Each year we consume about 110 pounds of potatoes per person. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that potatoes have a holiday in their honor. In preparation for National Potato Day, we’ve dug up this trivia for you: • People in Shakespeare’s time viewed the potato as an aphrodisiac and labeled them “Apples of Love.” • During the 18th century, potatoes were served as a dessert, hot and salted, in a napkin. • The Irish are perhaps best known for their love of potatoes. At one time Ireland was so dependent upon potatoes that when the potato crops were destroyed by blight in 1845 and 1846, over one million people died and another million left Ireland to find food. • The potato chip was invented in 1853 and has been America’s number one snack food for more than 50 years. While we’re on the subject of spuds, here’s a message for all of you who enjoy being couch potatoes. Colo Telephone and CIB offer the high-speed internet you need to stream movies and TV series without the annoyance of buffering. Call Colo Telephone Company at 641-377-2202 or CIB at 888-377-0067 to learn more. We’d like to take this opportunity to extend a public welcome to Tanner Clatt as a new employee. He joined the Colo Telephone Company team in November ’22 as a Combination Technician and has been doing an excellent job ever since. Tanner could be a familiar face to many of you, as he grew up in Colo and graduated from Colo-NESCO in 2016. What is Tanner’s favorite part about working for Colo Telephone Company? He replied, “My favorite part is seeing people I know around town. Plus, each day brings something different, along with having a wide variety of jobs to complete. Also, I really enjoy my coworkers.” (Tanner gets brownie points for that last part!) Outside of work, Tanner loves to spend his free time with family, which includes his wife Rylie and their twin boys, Kambren and Koven. They all enjoy their daily stroller outings whenever the weather allows. Also part of the family are their three Beagle hounds— Mayze, Luna, and Oakley. When Tanner was asked what food he’d choose if he had to eat the same food for the rest of his life, he responded, “Tacos, definitely tacos.” We’re excited to have Tanner on our team! TANNER CLATT HIRED AS COMBINATION TECHNICIAN LARRY SPRINGER RETIRED After 37 years in the telecommunications industry, Larry Springer retired as Colo Telephone Company’s General Manager in December. After serving in the US Air Force, Larry worked as an installer for Telesciences, then had several different roles with Nortel Networks over 16 years. He began working as the General Manager at Colo Telephone Company in 2003. During his time with us, he was also active in ICA (Iowa Communications Alliance) and served on various ICA committees over the years. We held a small party for Larry in April and wish him the best in retirement. Thanks for all you did for Colo Telephone Company, Larry! Left to right: Retirees Julie Willis, Dave Shaffar, Larry Springer, DeAnne Lee, and Rich Mack
Cornerstone Group © 2023 YOU CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS, BUT YOU CAN BUY LOCAL You may have seen this message shared on social media platforms. It certainly offers food for thought: “When you’re supporting small businesses, you’re not helping a CEO buy a third vacation home. You’re helping a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy get his team jersey, a mom put food on the table, a dad pay a mortgage, or a student pay for college.” Small businesses are the heart of America, and for them to keep pumping, they need our support. This is achieved when community residents place a high value on keeping small businesses healthy and are committed to buying goods and services locally whenever possible. Supporting small businesses goes far beyond helping their owners, since they in turn donate to local charities, sports teams, and other causes. Simply put, communities need strong independent businesses to thrive. Colo Telephone Company and CIB believe in the power of support on a local level, which is why we strive to purchase locally sourced products, partner with local vendors, and give back to our communities through donations and volunteering. Given how much technology changes over time, it’s not surprising that what was once true no longer applies, or that people get confused by technical jargon. To clear things up, we’re setting the record straight on a few Wi-Fi myths. Myth: If several people in our home are downloading, then our Wi-Fi will slow to a crawl. Older Wi-Fi technology couldn’t cope with multiple devices downloading, gaming, or streaming at the same time. However, today’s routers and access points are designed to help mitigate this using multiple antennas and band steering. Myth: 5GHz is always better than 2.4GHz. Which band is better depends on your Wi-Fi needs. If you want better range, use 2.4 GHz. If you need higher performance or speed, use the 5GHz band. The 5GHz band, which is the newer of the two, has the potential to cut through network clutter and interference to maximize network performance, which means 5GHz will be better for things like reducing game lag. Myth: My device won’t connect to Wi-Fi, so there must be a problem with my internet. While there are scenarios where this might be the case, such as a neighborhood-wide internet outage, there are other potential connection issues. For example, if you have a device that won’t connect to Wi-Fi, start by focusing your efforts on that device. The solution could be as simple as turning the device off and back on. If you’re experiencing issues with your internet service from us, please contact our office before unplugging any equipment. Unplugging/rebooting a router wipes the logs that we would need to troubleshoot. All of our internet plans come with BLAST Managed Wi-Fi to optimize your network experience. It includes: • GigaSpire BLAST router with Wi-Fi 6 technology • CommandIQ app for convenient network management • ProtectIQ service to shield connected devices from malware and intrusion If you’d like advanced parental controls, you can add ExperienceIQ service for $8.00/mo. Call Colo Telephone Company at 641-377-2202 or CIB at 888-377-0067 to learn more. DISPELLING MYTHS ABOUT HOME WI-FI NETWORKS
Colo Telephone Company 303 Main Street / PO Box 315 Colo, IA 50056 Colo: 641-377-2202 CIB: 888-377-0067 www.colotel.org Cornerstone Group © 2023 CONNECTIONS NEWS FROM COLO TELEPHONE AND CENTRAL IOWA BROADBAND ALWAYS CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG All kinds of utility lines could be buried underground on your property. So, before you dig into outdoor projects that involve digging —from installing a new mailbox to planting trees and shrubs—call 811 first. That way, the utility lines in the project area can be located and marked, preventing accidental damage. If you’re having new siding installed on your home, please contact Colo Telephone Company or CIB. We’ll come out before the project begins and assist with moving our equipment to prevent unnecessary damage or extra charges. Thanks in advance for your cooperation! 7 reasons you need ExperienceIQ content controls in your home 1. 5. 6. 7. 2. 3. 4.
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