September/October 2015 Connection
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The Foothills SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 CONNECTION SWEET HOBBY Amateur beekeepers keep Kentucky buzzing BLACK BARN PRODUCE TV EVERYWHERE A country store uses the past to Foothills’ newest service brings make memories for today TV to mobile devices INDUSTRY NEWS AGING IN PLACE: BY SHIRLEY BLOOMFIELD, CEO FACTS & FIGURES Rural Connections NTCA–THE RURAL BROADBAND ASSOCIatION Internet technology is personal when it U.S. population comes to your parents aging in place Age 65 and over orking in the telecommunica- • 2010 - 40.3 million tions industry, it’s easy to get • 2020 - 55 million caught up in all the technology, • 2030 - 70 million W • 2050 - 88.5 million the federal regulations and the constant challenges of keeping rural America con- nected. It is good to be reminded that the hard work our rural service providers are 87 percent doing in their communities is making real of adults age 65 and over want progress toward improving the lives of to stay in their current home and people on a daily basis. community as they age, according Consider the impact that the Internet can to research from AARP. have on the lives of the elderly. My parents live in western Michigan, and on a recent visit with them we discussed their ability to access to high-quality health care support $17 billion “age in place” in their home. As maintain- that can help them live more independently. will be spent annually over the ing a safe and healthy lifestyle becomes The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) next three years on remodeling more challenging for the elderly, adjust- works with NTCA to advance an under- homes to help seniors age in place, ments such as installing a walk-in shower standing of rural telecommunications is- according to the Harvard Joint and adding handrails in strategic places sues. FRS published the white paper “Aging Center for Housing Studies. can make it easier for our loved ones to in Place and the Role of Broadband” in remain in their familiar environments and 2012, which highlights a number of tele- avoid assisted living or nursing home care medicine applications that are made pos- Increasingly indefinitely. sible by the high-speed Internet connections A reliable broadband Internet connec- our rural telcos deliver to their communi- connected In 2000, 86 percent of adults 65 and tion — such as that offered by your local ties. These include: older did not go online. Today, only telecommunications provider — can play a • Videoconferencing capabilities that allow 39 percent of that age group does critical role in making this possible. doctors and patients to communicate over not use the Internet, according to the Internet the Pew Research Center. STAYING CONNECTED • Remote health monitoring services that Seniors can remain in their homes with record vital signs, such as blood pressure more confidence when they can stay con- and blood sugar levels, and relay that in- nected with their caregivers. Broadband formation to doctors and family members 5 key areas enables such connectivity, but goes well • Systems that transmit large digital files for a better life beyond that by allowing seniors to connect such as X-rays and photos between The AARP Public Policy Institute to entertainment options, friends across the technicians, specialists or primary care lists five areas where technology country and even health care providers. providers can help support the needs and ambitions of older adults: FOCUS ON TELEMEDICINE And I believe this is just the beginning. • Personal fulfillment In fact, broadband’s ability to help the As technology brings us new ways to care • Health preservation elderly age in place is most notable in the for ourselves, you can be assured that your • Social connectedness realm of telemedicine. Thanks to the hard local telecommunications provider will be • Functional capability and activity work of community-based telecommunica- there with the broadband access to keep you • Caregiver support tions providers like yours, seniors have and your aging loved ones connected. 2 | September/October 2015 Don’t be a pirate Are you illegally downloading music and video from the Web? he days of download services like Limewire and Napster Essentially, it means it’s a crime to download any form of copy- are over, and free music, movies and television shows are righted media without paying. Toff-limits. In fact, continued illegal downloading of copy- While movies and books glorify piracy on the high seas, this righted material can result in major fines or worse. new form of “digital piracy” can land illegal downloaders in a lot The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a law of trouble with the law — not to mention a computer filled with criminalizing any device controlling access to copyrighted works. viruses. Know The Facts: Your Guide to Understanding the DMCA n If you download copyrighted songs, downloaded material. Your provider n Not everything is copyrighted. Some albums, software, movies or any will partner with you to make sure things are old enough to not be cov- other media without paying for it, the violations don’t happen again, as ered by copyright rules. Ideas, facts that is classified as a DMCA viola- repeat violations can cause perma- or discoveries are not considered to tion. These products are not free — nent termination of services. Any be tangible and would not be con- they are stolen. email or message about a violation sidered copyrighted material. Some not from your Internet service pro- software is “open source,” meaning n There are several ways to legally vider is likely a scam. it can be downloaded and used for access copyrighted material on the free. Occasionally, some producers Internet. Legitimate streaming ser- n Having an encrypted wireless router will offer items for free under a “cre- vices like Netflix and Hulu offer ac- is important to help protect yourself ative commons” license. These are cess to television shows and movies. from DMCA violations. When a usually detailed in the license or user iTunes, Google Play and Amazon router is unencrypted, you have no agreement. These, however, are the allow subscribers access to music, control over who uses your service. exceptions. It’s safe to assume that videos, apps and games legally. With Also, it’s important to monitor all any major commercial album, mov- your broadband Internet connection, users in your home who access the ie, TV show or piece of software is these services are easy to access, Internet. Be aware of teenagers’ copyrighted and can lead to trouble legal and virus-free. activity online, as they are classified for unauthorized downloaders. as the most frequent offenders. n Be aware that no one should contact n The artists, photographers, perform- you about a DMCA violation other n “Free” downloads are often loaded ers, producers, designers and devel- than your Internet service provider. with viruses or malware that can bog opers who make the content that you Your provider will contact you down your computer or steal your love, depend on legitimate sales to with specific details, including the personal information. If it sounds too fund their work. If everyone stole exact time and date of the violation, good to be true, it probably is. their work, they wouldn’t be able to along with the title of the illegally create more of it. September/October 2015 | 3 FROM THE CEO The Foothills CONNECTION SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 VOL. 2, NO. 5 The Foothills Connection is a bimonthly newsletter published by Foothills Communications, ©2015. It is distributed Cooperatives are exceptional without charge to all customers of the company. rowing up in Magoffin County, I thought of Tim Minix as another member of our family. He was Galways welcome. He was a Foothills technician who kept us connected to the rest of the world. At the time, Foothills offered telephone service — ours was Foothills is a member-owned cooperative a party line — and that’s about it. But thanks to people like that has been serving residents and Tim, we considered Foothills more than just a business. To us, businesses in eastern Kentucky since Foothills always seemed like a part of the community’s fabric — 1951. In the early days, we only offered telephone service over copper wires. Over a strong thread weaving all of us into one well-connected quilt. the years, we have expanded our network Tim has since retired, but our entire Foothills team continues and now provide broadband Internet to embrace the same fundamental, service-driven ethic Tim and cable TV services over fiber-optic facilities to much of our service area. Our showed — we connect businesses, individuals and families to service area includes Magoffin County RUTH CONLEY the world. and portions of Johnson County and Chief Executive Officer And in today’s communications landscape, telephone is only Lawrence County. We love being part of the communities we serve; our customers one — although a still vital — part of a broad range of services are our families, friends and neighbors. our members require. Thanks to fast fiber Internet connections, you can play XBox games with more than a dozen people, including those in other states or even other countries. And you can do that Foothills Communications while someone else in the home surfs the Web and someone else streams a movie. P.O. Box 240 Simply, we are more connected than ever before, and the possibilities continue to grow. At 1621 Kentucky Route 40 West Staffordsville, KY 41256 Foothills, we want long-time members, as well as new members, to understand our commit- www.foothills.net ment to the future at a glance. 606-297-3501, Johnson County Once, the company was known as Foothills Telephone.