The Foothills MARCH/APRIL 2018 CONNECTION SPIRIT STRONG Fitness studio caters to heart and health BIRTHDAY SMOKY GOODNESS CELL-EBRATION A journey of the finest Happy 45th to the modern BBQ joints mobile phone INDUSTRY NEWS Create the next great app! Rural Connections FRS seeking students to BY SHIRLEY BLOOMFIELD, CEO NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association take the App Challenge Rural youth are the future t NTCA and the Foundation for Rural Service, we believe an investment in our rural youth Ais an investment in the future of rural America. That’s why we are committed to mak- ing those kinds of investments. Each year, our partners at FRS award $100,000 worth of scholarships to assist rural pps play a big role in making life The App Challenge will judge students students in attending college or technical easier. They are often the fastest based on how well-researched and well- school. FRS also coordinates a trip each and easiest way to access social presented the app is. While the idea can year for rural youth to visit Washington, Amedia, check the weather forecast, pay be similar to an existing app, it must be D.C., and learn about the way our gov- bills, listen to music, shop and access an original idea. ernment works. just about anything imaginable on the The program launched Jan. 23, and the I am thrilled about the launch of the internet. deadline for submissions for the contest FRS Rural Youth App Challenge and That’s why the Foundation for Rural is April 20. Students in grades 7-12 are excited to see the bright ideas that come Service created the FRS Rural Youth eligible. from the minds of our rural youth. App Challenge. Students will develop a Either a single student or groups with I believe deeply in the importance of concept for a mobile app that addresses as many as five participants may enter. these programs, but for NTCA members a problem or improves a process in their A parent of at least one student in the like your local provider, support for our rural community, or anywhere in rural group must be a member of a coopera- rural youth goes much deeper. America, says Jessica Golden, executive tive that is an NTCA member. Your broadband provider works hard director of the Foundation for Rural Ser- Winners will be announced in mid-to- to bring a reliable internet connection vice. “Youth engagement is a huge part late May. The winning team will receive to students’ homes — and often their of what we do,” she says. $1,000 in gift cards and Codecademy schools — to get the education they The FRS is the charitable arm of scholarships. The first 10 student appli- need. They make sure teachers can NTCA–The Rural Broadband Associa- cants with complete applications will connect to the resources and research tion and has been involved in scholar- also receive a subscription to Codecad- needed to provide quality instruction. ships, youth tours in Washington, D.C., emy-PRO, worth about $84. And once these young men and women and many other programs geared toward graduate, it will be your broadband engaging the youth of America, Golden provider whose service enables them to says. apply for jobs, start a business or work It’s all part of the emphasis on the FOR MORE INFORMATION: remotely. importance of broadband, which is Go to frs.org, send an I’m proud of the investments NTCA, becoming a vital thread in the American email inquiry to FRS and our member telcos have made fabric. “We want all our youth to see and will continue to make in the future themselves as a gamechanger and a voice [email protected], of rural America. of the rural communities,” she says. “We or call 703-351-2026. want them to think outside the box.” 2 | March/April 2018 Attention local Hey business owners: telemarketers: Make sure you follow the Do Not Call rules No matter if you’re a one-person shop or a beloved company, local business owners should remember DO NOT CALL! that National Do Not Call Registry rules and regulations apply to you. After all, you don’t want to upset a loyal customer, or frustrate poten- tial new customers, with unwanted phone calls. he Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communica- If you are a company, individual or tions Commission established a National Do Not Call Regis- organization that places telemar- keting calls, it is very important that try. Joining this registry can drastically reduce the number of you familiarize yourself with the Ttelemarketing calls you receive. operations of the National Do Not Call Registry. Unless you fall under one of the established exceptions, JUST THE FACTS ABOUT DO NOT CALL: political organizations, charities, tele- such as telemarketing by charitable • Once you’ve registered, telemarket- phone surveyors and businesses with organizations or for prior business ers have 31 days to stop calling your whom you have an existing relationship. relationships, you may not make number. telemarketing calls to numbers • Register as many as three non-business Strict Federal Trade Commission rules included in the National Do Not Call telephone numbers. You can also regis- make it illegal for telemarketers to do any Registry. ter cellphone numbers — there is not a of the following, regardless of whether or For information regarding separate registry for cellphones. not your number is listed on the National National Do Not Call regulations, • Your number will remain on the list Do Not Call Registry: visit the National Do Not Call permanently unless you disconnect the • Call before 8 a.m. Registry at www.telemarketing. number or you choose to remove it. • Call after 9 p.m. donotcall.gov. You can find the • Some businesses are exempt from the • Misrepresent what is being offered Federal Communications Commis- Do Not Call Registry and may still be • Threaten, intimidate or harass you sion and Federal Trade Commission able to call your number. These include • Call again after you’ve asked them not to rules governing telemarketing and telephone solicitation at 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200 and 16 C.F.R. Part 310, respectively. It’s Easy! Register online at OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION: Add your number to the The Do Not Call initiative, regulated www.donotcall.gov by the Federal Trade Commission Do Not Call Registry or call 888-382-1222. (FTC) and the Federal Communica- For TTY, call 866-290-4236. tions Commission (FCC), requires telephone service providers to You must call from the telephone notify customers of the National Do number you wish to register. Not Call rules and regulations. March/April 2018 | 3 FROM THE CEO The Foothills CONNECTION Keeping our part of the MARCH/APRIL 2018 VOL. 5, NO. 2 The Foothills Connection is a bimonthly newsletter published by Foothills ‘net’ neutral Communications, ©2018. It is distributed without charge to all customers of the company. t’s very rare that telecommunications policy grabs headlines, dom- inates social media feeds, and leads the news broadcasts. But that’s Iexactly what we saw after the FCC’s decision on net neutrality. It’s encouraging to see people around the country take stock, realize how important their broadband service is to their daily lives, and take action to protect it. Concerns over net neutrality have caused some of our members to email, call or message us on social media. I’m proud Foothills is a member-owned cooperative that our members are tuned in to the issues and willing to communi- that has been serving residents and cate with us about the future of their service. businesses in eastern Kentucky since 1951. The term “net neutrality” refers to policy that would prevent inter- In the early days, we only offered telephone net providers from interfering with selective forms of internet traffic service over copper wires. Over the years, through blocking or slowing down certain services or websites. we have expanded our network and now RUTH CONLEY There’s a lot of conflicting information about how the regulations provide broadband Internet and cable TV Chief Executive Officer and the FCC changes to the rules will affect broadband, but I wanted services over fiber-optic facilities to much of to set the record straight for Foothills customers. Our No. 1 concern our service area. Our service area includes has been and will always be delivering to you the best online experi- Magoffin County and portions of Johnson ence possible. We do not throttle, prioritize or block any legal internet traffic and have no plans County and Lawrence County. We love to do so in the future. Essentially, we are keeping our members’ connections net neutral. being part of the communities we serve; I understand that many people have concerns about this ruling, but please know that Foot- our customers are our families, friends and hills has no intention of making changes to our service based on the FCC’s decision. neighbors. I can’t speak for what other telecommunications providers I can’t speak for may do, but we have been net neutral and will stay that way because it’s the right thing to do for our customers. Foothills Communications what other profit- The only thing the FCC’s decision will change for us will be P.O. Box 240 “ 1621 Kentucky Route 40 West driven corporate reducing the amount of regulatory paperwork we have to keep. Staffordsville, KY 41256 telecommunications Representatives from NTCA–The Rural Broadband Associa- www.foothills.net providers may do, tion — which represents 850 small, rural, community-based 606-297-3501 member companies like ours — testified to this before congres- but we have been net sional committees.