MAY 2 0 23 Cornerstone Group © 2023 Win a $10 Bill Credit By what percentage did Panora Fiber internet usage grow in 2022? Answer: _____________________________ Name: ______________________________ Phone:_ _____________________________ Email: _ _____________________________ Clip and return by May 31, 2023, to Panora Fiber, 114 East Main Street, Panora, IA 50216 or 403 State Street, Guthrie Center, IA 50115. Congratulations to our most recent winners: Carrie Riley from Bagley and Joni Thompson from Guthrie Center. Two winners chosen at random per quarter. Contest open to Panora Fiber customers aged 18 and over. Applicants can win once per 12-month period. Other restrictions may apply. YOUR QUARTERLY DOSE OF TECHNOLOGY INSPIRATION Connections SOLD Panora Office 114 East Main Street, Panora, IA 50216 641.755.2424 Hours: M–F 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Guthrie Center Office 403 State Street, Guthrie Center, IA 50115 641.332.2000 Hours: M–F 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. but closed 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. for lunch FIBER Fast • Reliable • Local FIBER www.panorafiber.com Dreaming of building a new home in Panora, Iowa? There are 17 new housing lots available in the Dream Acres development on West Clay Street. • Prices starting at $17,500 • Conveniently located near Panorama Community Schools and Little Panther Daycare & Preschool • All utility services available For additional details, visit panorafiber.com/community or call Bump Law at 641.755.2131. DREAM ACRES LOTS FOR SALE
PANORA FIBER • WWW.PANORAFIBER.COM • 641 . 755 . 2424 IN PANORA • 641 . 332 . 2000 IN GUTHRIE CENTER What to Know Before You Burn, Dig or Mow Telephone pedestals and fiber markers indicate the location of internet, digital TV, and phone cables and equipment. Please watch for them on your property if you are burning ditches or mowing and be careful to avoid them. Damage can disrupt service for you and/or your neighbors. Fiber connections are very expensive to repair — often several thousand dollars or more. Repair costs may be billed to the operator who caused the damage, so pay attention in order to avoid having to pay up. Also be sure to call Iowa One Call at 811 or 800.292.8989 at least 48 business hours in advance of any digging job to have lines located and marked. All sorts of utility lines, pipes, and cables could be buried on your property. There’s no cost to you for this service. Panora Fiber thanks you for your cooperation in helping protect our valuable communications infrastructure. The monthly cost for several streaming services can quickly add up, especially given the recent price hikes of many popular subscriptions. Fortunately, there are ways to trim your streaming costs without having to make too many sacrifices. 1. Rotate subscriptions. Instead of subscribing to multiple streaming services simultaneously, you could choose just one, catch up on all your favorite shows there, then cancel and move on to another service. This consumer trend is called streaming service rotation. You may want to subscribe to a different service each month or quarter, depending on your viewing habits. If you subscribed to a service because of one specific show, cancel that subscription after you’ve watched the season and resume it when it comes back—usually a year or more later. Remember, it’s typically easy to sign up for, cancel, and restart a subscription, so there’s no need to subscribe to any service for the entire year. 2. Choose basic, nonpremium subscriptions. While watching commercials probably isn’t your favorite thing to do, it can save you money. Some streaming services—such as Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Paramount Plus, and Discovery Plus—offer lower-priced subscriptions for their ad-supported tiers. Plus, you don’t have to watch the commercials. Spend that time like people did in the old days: Grab a snack, fold the laundry, or use the bathroom. 3. Take advantage of free trials. Fewer streaming services are offering a 30-day free trial than in the past, but you can still get a free trial from services including Hulu, Showtime, Amazon Prime, and Amazon Kids+. If you plan your viewing wisely, you might be able to binge a series or two without paying a dime. Just make sure to mark your calendar with a cancellation reminder, or you’ll start getting billed after your trial expires. For the best streaming experience, you need an internet connection fast enough to avoid hassles like buffering. To get details on Panora Fiber’s internet plans, call 641.755.2424 in Panora or 641.332.2000 in Guthrie Center. Three Ways to Save Money on Streaming Services
Cornerstone Group © 2023 Annual Meeting Held March 6 The Annual Shareholders Meeting of Panora Communications Cooperative and Panora Cooperative Cablevision Association, Inc. —which do business as Panora Fiber—was held on March 6, 2023, in the auditorium of the Panorama High School in Panora, Iowa. Andrew Randol, GM/CEO, presented the 2022 financial report and discussed 2022/2023 highlights including these: • Nathan VanZee and Shane Murphy were hired, while Cheryl Castile retired. • After a three-month transition, Panora Fiber became the name for all our companies. • Panora Fiber retired ¼ million in patronage. • Internet usage grew 13% and Managed Wi-Fi grew at 15%. • Voice lines decreased 13%. • A business park lot was sold. • The new Clay Street project was completed, which opened a road to Panorama Elementary School and the new 18-lot Dream Acres housing development. One of these lots has sold. • Panora Fiber is preparing for a significant capital project, receiving a $4.5 million grant for a fiber buildout. In total, it will be about a $10-million-dollar project and will start in mid2023. It includes rural areas of Bagley, Linden, Redfield, Adel, Earlham and VanMeter. • There was an 8% decrease in FiberTV customers. A new streaming service will be offered during third quarter 2023. Randol paid tribute to Dale Grotjohn, who passed away in 2022. Grotjohn was devoted to our company, working as a manager for 30 years and serving on the board for 15 years. Also, during the meeting, Trudy Hastings, Ron Reynolds, and Dave Ryan were all re-elected to a 3-year term on the board. These were the prize drawing winners: Samsung 43” TV, Brian Johnson; Polk Audio Soundbar, Pat Moylan; Amazon Firestick 4K+, Julie Dent-Zajicek; Eufy Solar Cam, Mary Biedelman; Kasa Light Bulb, Donna Smith; Echo Dot, Nancy Moore; Anker Speaker, Gladys Willey; and Nixplay 10” Picture Frame, Mike Ketelsen. Low-Income Household Discounts Lifeline Lifeline helps eligible low-income subscribers stay connected by providing a monthly discount of up to $9.25 on their wireline phone, wireless phone, or broadband internet service. To qualify for Lifeline, subscribers must either have an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in at least one of these assistance programs: • Medicaid • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP) • Supplemental Security Income • Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8) • Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance • Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families • Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations • Head Start (if income eligibility criteria are met) Check your Lifeline eligibility at www.lifelinesupport.org/ do-i-qualify. Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) The ACP helps connect families and households struggling to afford internet access. It provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. There are two steps to enroll: 1) Go to ACPBenefit.org to apply or print out a mail-in application. 2) Contact Panora Fiber to select a plan and have the discount applied to your bill. Get more details and eligibility criteria at fcc.gov/ACP.
Cornerstone Group © 2023 PANORA FIBER • WWW.PANORAFIBER.COM • 641 . 755 . 2424 IN PANORA • 641 . 332 . 2000 IN GUTHRIE CENTER Let’s Hear It for the Athletes Who Made It to State All of us at Panora Fiber were thrilled to see to athletes from local high schools make it to 2023 state tournaments. We applaud their accomplishments and give a shoutout to their coaches. AC/GC High School Wrestlers AC/GC had two wrestlers advance to the state tournament, with both taking the district title in their respective weight classes. Tegan Slaybaugh took first place in the 120-pound weight class, while Payton Jacobe won first place for heavyweight. Panorama High School Girls Basketball In the 2023 Iowa Girls Basketball State Championships, Panorama Girls Basketball reached the Class 2-A semifinals. A special congratulations goes out to these players for their 2023 honors: • Jaidyn Sellers – All State • Tyme Boettcher – All Region • Mia Waddle, Zoey Hambleton, and Kaitlyn Kent – All Conference We Congratulate All Graduates on Their Achievements Graduations are cause for celebration, whether a student is graduating from high school, college, or another type of educational program. Panora Fiber recognizes the hard work required to reach these important milestones, and we wish all the graduates in our community good luck as they begin the next chapter of their lives. Wi-Fi doesn’t need to be complicated. So, if you find yourself having to think about your home’s Wi-Fi network more than you’d like, we suggest you simplify things a bit and get Managed Wi-Fi. This monthly service takes the hassles of Wi-Fi troubleshooting (and more) off your hands in exchange for a small monthly fee. Once you sign up for Managed Wi-Fi, Panora Fiber will handle a variety of Wi-Fi tasks for you: • Installation of a next-generation router with powerful Wi-Fi 6 • Selection of the best router location in your home for optimal coverage and signal strength from room to room • Setup of your Wi-Fi security password to avoid others using your Wi-Fi network without your permission • Connection of your devices—such as laptops, tablets, phones, and printer—to the Wi-Fi network • Ongoing maintenance including router software upgrades for optimal performance • Remote support should a Wi-Fi issue arise • Repair or replacement of our router when needed Keep this in mind: If you don’t have Managed Wi-Fi and need in-home help with a router you purchased on your own, you’ll have to pay the hourly fee for a service call by one of our technicians. This can get pricey if you end up with a series of Wi-Fi issues. It really boils down to a simple choice. Do you want to spend your time doing all the necessary Wi-Fi network setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting? Or would you rather leave all that to us and just enjoy using your Wi-Fi with all your home’s connected devices? Panora Fiber offers Managed Wi-Fi. To learn more about its features and to sign up for service, call 641.755.2424 in Panora or 641.332.2000 in Guthrie Center. There’s a Simple Solution to Much Simpler Wi-Fi
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