The Buy Local Loop 3 Fiber Spotlight: Fiber is the Next Utility 4 How Much Internet Speed Do We Need? 6 Data Breaches are Costly for Small Businesses 7 I NS I DE CONT ENT S BUSINESS solutions We’re on a Roll With Fiber Deployment Madison Communications is connecting more rural businesses to the speed and reliability of fiber internet. MAY 2 0 2 4 VOLUME 7 • I SSUE 1
Fiber is fast becoming essential. Only fiber networks can provide the high levels of speed and reliability required to meet the growing internet needs of businesses, community institutions, and families. That’s why Madison Communications is investing heavily in fiber networks to provide access to multi-gig internet speeds, and why we decided to feature fiber in this Business Solutions issue. For this issue only, our two-page Business Spotlight will be a three-page Fiber Spotlight instead. It begins on pages 4 and 5 with Fiber is the Next Utility, which discusses the current transformative era for fiber, followed by a list of the Top 10 Fiber Benefits for Businesses. On page 6, we answer your question, How Much Internet Speed Do We Need?, and let you know We Proudly Belong to NTCA —a group of more than 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural America through fiber technology. Also in this issue, we share a look at The Buy Local Loop on page 3 and a warning that Data Breaches are Costly for Small Businesses on page 7. Please contact us if you’d like to know more about fiber or any other topic we’ve covered in these pages. Madison Communications is here to help your business succeed. Sincerely, The Madison Team 2 M A Y 2 0 2 4 Madison Communications www.gomadison.com Main Office: Madison Communications 21668 Double Arch Road Staunton, IL 62088 Monday – Saturday, 8:00 – 5:00 p.m. Payment Drop-Off Centers: 118 E State, Hamel, IL 594 Livingston Av, Livingston, IL 315 W Main, Staunton, IL 21668 Double Arch Rd, Staunton, IL Mailing Address: Madison Communications PO Box 29 Staunton, IL 62088 Customer Service: Phone: 800-422-4848 Email: infomtc@gomadison.com Fax: 618-635-7213 Publication Contact: Lexy Hagler, Marketing Coordinator Business Solutions is a publication of Madison Communications 21668 Double Arch Road Staunton, IL 62088 Editorial and Circulation Contact: Lexy Hagler PO Box 29 Staunton, IL 62088 Extra issues are available to business customer employees on a limited basis while supplies last. Contact: Lexy Hagler, PO Box 29, Staunton, IL 62088, 618-635-5000 All brand names and product names used in this publication are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright© 2024 by Madison Communications and Cornerstone Publishing Group, Inc. BUSINESS solutions
M A Y 2 0 2 4 3 BUSINESS solutions 5 The Buy Local Loop YOU BUY LOCAL MORE JOBS CREATED MORE LOCAL TAXES SUPPORT FOR NONPROFITS MORE SPENDING POWER YOU GET MORE CUSTOMERS Why it pays to think twice before shopping online The phrase “what goes around comes around” applies to many things, including your local economy. When your company and other businesses keep your dollars local, you benefit the community, local nonprofit agencies, friends and neighbors, and ultimately, your own business. Here’s how it works: 1. You buy local. Sure, the convenience of online shopping is compelling, and sometimes it even costs less. But consider seeking out the same products and services close to home. You get to bring needed items back to the office the same day, skip the shipping costs, and get an opportunity to know other business owners and employees in your community, who often provide better personal service and advice. 2. More business creates more jobs. When you support those local businesses, you’re also supporting neighbors, friends, and relatives who can find jobs within them. Small businesses provide over half of all jobs in the U.S., but they can only do it if they keep their doors open. By spending locally, your business does its part to make sure that happens. 3. More jobs create more spending power. With more jobs come more residents who can stay in the local area, ensuring vitality and diversity. These citizens can also afford to spend money locally—supporting the economy, enlarging the tax base, and creating a better community with enhanced schools, roads, and parks. 4. Successful businesses mean support for nonprofits. Nonprofit organizations receive twice as much support from small businesses as from larger ones. So, when you support the local economy, you’re also supporting needed services for groups like children, veterans, and the elderly. 5. Local individuals and businesses support you back. With a “buy local” mentality in your community, you’ll get the benefit, too. If your business provides products or services to consumers, more of them will have the spending power to purchase them. If your company is business-to-business, other companies that need your products or services will seek them out. 6. You see the benefit and continue to buy local. As your business benefits from the positive “buy local loop,” you have all the more reason to start the cycle again. In addition to these benefits, shopping locally reduces environmental impact, ensures a wider variety of shops and products, and contributes to community health and diversity. If you’re not already in the buy local habit, consider making your next purchase from a vendor close to home.
4 M A Y 2 0 2 4 FIBER spotlight Big Demand for Bandwidth Thanks to fiber, multi-gig internet speeds are becoming more readily available. Why do we need all this bandwidth? Here are a few reasons: • Businesses are making a massive shift to cloud services. For economic efficiency, their critical systems now operate at remote data centers rather than on-site computers. The speed, reliability, and security of fiber connections make cloud services viable. • The American Telemedicine Association notes that telemedicine has gone from a side feature of the health care system to an expectation. • Services such as online learning and remote energy management have become common. Another key factor in the importance of fiber is the increased need for symmetrical broadband connectivity for people who work from home all or part of the time. Until recently, broadband network performance was measured in terms of download speed since most users were only content consumers. However, with so many people now working from home—using collaborative tools and creating content—fast upload speed is also crucially important, which fiber delivers. When fiber networks are built in smaller cities and rural communities, it also helps level the playing field and close the urban-rural technology gap. This network expansion is being fueled by massive public and private funding initiatives. Fiber is the Next Utility To understand the importance of building fiber networks, it’s useful to look back at a couple of other lifechanging infrastructure projects. By 1900, much of our nation’s railroad system was in place; it cleared the way for the settlement of the West, provided new economic opportunities, and stimulated the development of communities. In the 1950s and 1960s, the new Interstate Highway System brought business to the towns it went through while towns far from the new faster roads struggled to survive. Today, fiber is as essential to business growth, and everyday life in general, as railroad tracks and highways were in the previous century. It’s also a key to business growth, especially in rural areas
M A Y 2 0 2 4 5 BUSINESS solutions A Transformative Era for Fiber The Fiber Broadband Association estimates that nearly as much fiber will be deployed in the U.S. between 2024 and 2029 as has been deployed throughout history. This infrastructure transformation is being driven by significant federal investments combined with innovations in technology and changes in consumer demand. In 2023, promised federal funding for infrastructure began flowing, injecting new vigor into broadband expansion and infrastructure modernization. The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides money for fiber network projects in areas not yet served by broadband and includes a separate provision for underserved locations in high-cost areas. An estimated 11.8 million locations—households and businesses, rural and urban—are considered either unserved or underserved. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act isn’t the only program helping to fund broadband projects. The Broadband, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program provides $42.45 billion to expand high-speed internet access through the planning and deployment of broadband infrastructure in all 50 states, and the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) is awarding $20.4 billion worth of funding to expand broadband connectivity to the most rural areas of the country. Another factor in the growth of fiber deployment is the evolution of fiber technology, which continues to provide faster speeds, lower latencies, improved resiliency, greater security, and more flexible applications. For example, a record-breaking 800 Gbps data rate was recently transmitted at a distance of 4,887 miles using a single wavelength of light. Remote working during the pandemic caused demand for high-speed network connectivity to increase, and it’s continued to climb since. In the business world, there’s been an explosion of dataintensive applications such as cloud computing, generative AI, and the Internet of Things (IoT), which all rely on fast and reliable data transmission. In addition, consumers are engaged in more data-heavy leisure activities like video streaming and online gaming. MadisonCommunications provides fiber internet with speeds as fast as 1 GIG. For complete details, call 1-800-422-4848 or visit www.gomadison.com. Top 10 Fiber Benefits for Businesses By replacing copper networks with fiber networks, Madison Communications has made it possible for an increasing number of local businesses to enjoy workplace advantages including these: 1. M uch faster internet speeds for increased productivity 2. Higher reliability with less downtime and need for troubleshooting 3. Stronger signal strength over long distances compared to copper internet connections 4. More efficient access to cloudbased tools and data storage 5. Future-proof infrastructure to meet changing needs 6. Ability to handle many internet users and devices with no slowdowns 7. Minimal latency for better quality video and VoIP calls 8. Enhanced security against cyber crime 9. More flexibility for initiatives such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) 10. Support for robust HD video conferencing What can fiber internet do for your business? Call Madison Communications at 1-800- 422-4848 to find out.
6 M A Y 2 0 2 4 Madison Communications hears this question frequently from our business customers, and there’s no single right answer. For some small businesses, a download speed as fast as 100 Mbps may work fine. Larger businesses with many devices and data-intensive applications may need a download speed as fast as 1 GIG (1,000 Mbps) for optimal performance (multi-gig internet speeds coming soon!). How many devices are using your internet service? Add up all the desktop computers, tablets, smartphones, Point of Sale (POS) terminals, security systems, and other internetconnected devices at your business location. Remember to also include devices used by visitors and customers on your Wi-Fi network, if applicable. The more devices you have, the more speed you need. How do your employees use the internet? If your employees’ online activities consist mainly of email, web browsing, and POS terminals, then a moderate internet speed may suffice. However, if you have many employees simultaneously streaming HD video, engaging in video conferences, uploading and downloading large files, and using cloud-based applications and storage, then your business may be a candidate for upperlevel speeds. What are your performance requirements? Think about the impact to your business if your internet service were to slow down from heavy use on insufficient bandwidth. Would your employees be able to do their jobs? Would customer service be adversely affected? It’s important to equip your business with plenty of internet speed for your current usage and upgrade your plan as your needs grow. If you want to discuss an internet speed upgrade for your business, call Madison Communications at 1-800-422-4848. How Much Internet Speed Do We Need? NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association represents more than 850 independent, communitybased telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural America. These companies range from less than 100 subscribers to more than 50,000, and Madison Communications is proud to be one of them. Despite enormous challenges of distance and density, NTCA member companies are delivering high-quality communications solutions via fiber in some of the hardest-to-serve and underserved rural areas of our country. These sparsely populated areas were long ago left behind by larger companies because they lacked a business case for development. (On average, the customer density of NTCA member companies is approximately seven subscribers per square mile, while larger telecommunications companies serve an average of 130 customers per square mile.) Were it not for small, independent providers such as Madison Communications, residents and businesses in many rural communities would lack access to reliable broadband, voice, and data communications. For more information on our fiber build projects in rural areas, visit gomadison.com/fiber-to-the-home. We Proudly Belong to NTCA
M A Y 2 0 2 4 7 BUSINESS solutions While data breaches at giant corporations are the ones that make the headlines, small businesses can also become victims of data breaches—and face substantial costs as a result. Small business owners who don’t make it a priority to protect their customers’ personal information could even find themselves out of operation. There are two categories of costs to consider: Hard Costs One of the largest costs of a data breach comes from the credit and debit card companies. These companies have broad powers and rights in data breach situations, especially if the business was found to not be complying with Payment Card Industry (PCI) regulations, which govern the specific security measures businesses must adhere to when they accept debit and credit cards as payment. If there’s a breach of PCI, credit and debit card companies have the right to level fines on merchants. Those agreements also entitle them to charge back any fraudulent charges that take place on customer cards because of the data breach. In addition, businesses will have to pay the costs of alerting their customers of the data breach, paying for their credit monitoring services, investigating how the breach occurred, and taking steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Cyber insurance can mitigate the hard costs of a breach by covering these types of expenses. Soft Costs Many businesses in these situations also experience decreased productivity because employees are understandably more focused on “putting the fire out” than on their regular day-to-day job responsibilities. When productivity suffers, sales and profits go down. Other soft costs related to a data breach include the potentially devastating damage to the reputation of the business and the trust of its community. Customers, vendors, and other colleagues may start to question their relationship with the affected business, jeopardizing its future success. Sign up for Madison Communications TechShield Security Suite to keep all of your data protected from online IT threats. To learn more, visit gomadison.com/techshield. Data Breaches are Costly for Small Businesses Who’s Minding Your Business? Chris Birdsell Outside Plant Engineer Chris Birdsell joined Madison Communications in 2001. As Outside Plant Engineer, his primary responsibilities include the design, mapping, permitting, and field work necessary to bring construction projects to completion. He also works with individuals to obtain private easements and works with government agencies regarding road projects and their impact on Madison Communications facilities. “I like the variety of the job. There’s always something different to do. I also appreciate the family atmosphere of Madison Communications,” Birdsell said. How has his job changed in the last 23 years? Birdsell replied, “The main difference is how technology, such as Google Earth and Google Maps, has helped me easily perform tasks that were once tedious and time consuming.” When not working, Birdsell has plenty to keep him busy. “I’m happily married with four great and uniquely individual kids. From March to November, my wife and I are camping most weekends and boating when weather permits. Traveling is our favorite past time, and I like to stay informed with government, current events, and politics,” he said.
Madison Communications is local to our core. Everything we do is meant to help local businesses grow and local communities thrive. Need something? Talk to our local team at 1-800-422-4848. www.gomadison.com WE LOVE BEING LOCAL WE LOVE SUPPORTING LOCAL WE LOVE BUYING LOCAL WE LOVE PARTNERING LOCAL WE LOVE INVESTING LOCAL WE LOVE PROMOTING LOCAL WE LOVE HIRING LOCAL Cornerstone Group©2024
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