The Foothills MARCH/APRIL 2015 CONNECTION COMMITTED CRUISERS Gearheads club raises money for local charities UNDER ATTACK AMISH STYLE Re-enactors besiege Local hardware store strikes deal historic Ivy Point with Amish community INDUSTRY NEWS BY SHIRLEY BLOOMFIELD, CEO LANDLINE? Rural Connections NTCA—THE RURAL BROADBAND ASSOCIatION The search for better broadband You still need should start with existing local providers one in 2015 here is no question that broad- provider, rural America now has access to band Internet service is the key to affordable broadband in some of the most Teconomic and community de- remote locations. But the sustainability of Today, mobility means everything. velopment, especially in rural America. those networks is at risk, and other areas We want to check email, log onto However, there are differing Facebook, watch videos, get the opinions in Washington about news and generally stay connected the best way to continue no matter where we are. And that, of building our nation’s con- course, includes the ability to make nected infrastructure. phone calls. With mobile phones in While I applaud President practically everyone’s pocket, some Obama’s recent attention on people question the need for a tradi- increasing every American’s Rural tional landline. But consider this: access to robust and afford- telecommunications providers are able broadband, it’s not clear With a landline, you never have delivering advanced that his focus on creating to worry about signal strength. technology to their 1 Knowing you can get a call through, more government-run net- customers. works in marketplaces where especially during an emergency, is private operators already exist more than a comfort. is the best path toward bringing more jobs need broadband as well. Policymakers in and opportunity to rural America. search of answers to these communica- Speaking of emergencies, your If our leaders are looking for an excel- tions challenges in rural America should 2 landline sends your complete ad- lent model for what can be accomplished, turn first to those who have shown they dress information — including apart- we believe they should turn to the experts can get the job done time and again, ment number — when you dial 911. who have decades of experience deploying rather than casting about for the next new Cell phones use GPS-based informa- and maintaining modern telecommunica- thing, creating regulatory uncertainty and tion, which can be inaccurate. tions infrastructure: community-based, putting at risk significant investments independent telcos like yours. already made in existing networks through The clarity of a conversation on Nationwide, there are over 1,000 tech- the prospect of redundant or wasteful 3 a landline (if you have a quality nology providers like yours that serve over overbuilding. wired or cordless handset) is un- 4 million households in the most sparsely There’s already a great broadband suc- matched by any cell phone call. populated pockets of our country, deploy- cess story out there in rural America, and ing high-speed, high-quality broadband it is being written by community-based With the right plan, you’ll services. For decades, these providers telecom providers like yours. As our 4 never run out of minutes with a have gone above and beyond to build the national broadband story progresses, we landline. infrastructure that allows our country’s should strive to build upon proven initia- most rural markets to access the same tives and leverage existing efforts that are Your “home phone number” technologies found in our largest cities — working, rather than pursue new uncharted 5 provides a way people can always and they’ve done it all under the extremely pathways. As this debate plays out, you reach you or leave a message. When difficult financial and physical conditions can be assured that you have a voice in everyone in the house has their own that come with deploying technologies in Washington, as your provider joins with cell phone with separate numbers, rural and remote communities. hundreds of others through NTCA as the the landline can serve as a central Thanks to the hard work and commit- unified voice of America’s rural broadband point of contact for the entire family. ment of companies such as your local companies. 2 | March/April 2015 YOU’VE GOT MAIL With so many new apps and services to help keep us connected, email is still king in the business world rom instant messaging ap- despite the challenges of the past plications such as Skype to generation,” the report states, Email and the Internet top the list of Fsocial media tools such as “including threats like spam and important tools for online workers Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat, phishing and competitors like social the past few years have brought media and texting.” Email 61% us many new options for connect- Email’s continued reign as the ing electronically. And yet, when it communications tool of choice has The Internet 54% comes to communicating in busi- its benefits. The study found that ness, email remains the method of 39 percent of workers believe that Landline Phone 35% choice. email, along with the Internet and Cell or smartphone 24% In the report “Technology’s cell phones, allows them more flex- Impact on Workers,” released by ibility in the hours they work. Social networking 4 % Pew Research Center at the end of The downside to that flexibility, sites like Twitter, last year, 61 percent of workers who however, is that 35 percent — al- Facebook or use the Internet say that email is most the same amount — say these LinkedIn very important to doing their job. tools have increased the amount of “The high value of email comes time they spend working. Source: Pew Research Center Email overload? Manage your inbox with these simple tips With so much importance placed on email in today’s business world, managing your messages can be overwhelming. You can benefit from this communications tool without letting it wreck your day by putting a few simple principles into action. Set an email schedule. If you task if your computer provides a may take a few weeks of adjust- exhaustive response that you’ll make yourself available for email pop-up notification every time ing to find the approach that have to wade through. all day long, you leave yourself an email comes in. Turn off that best fits you, but the result will open to constant distraction. Set productivity-killing feature. In be a more organized workspace. Consider alternatives. Email a schedule of specific times dur- fact, shut down your email app Your mail will be in intuitive is not for every conversation. In ing the day when you will check altogether and only launch it categories so that you’ll be able fact, it’s a terrible way to man- email. You may have to adjust it when you are ready to focus on to deal with the most important age a project. Post messages to find the schedule that’s right email. messages first. pertaining to a specific project for you, but try starting with inside tools such as Basecamp or once before lunch and again Organize your inbox. Most Keep it brief. When you send an Trello. Having all related conver- early afternoon. You will feel email apps allow you to set up exhaustive email with hundreds sations in the same place with more freedom than when you folders, filters and rules to bring of words and multiple questions related notes and action items are drawn in by every email that order to your email madness. It and points, you invite an equally will help you track progress. lands in your inbox. Turn off notifications. You Is email an important part of your business? Do you have any tips for managing email can’t stay focused on any one to work more efficiently? Tell us your story at www.BroadbandBuildsBusiness.com. March/April 2015 | 3 FROM THE CEO The Foothills CONNECTION MARCH/APRIL 2015 VOL. 2, NO. 2 Broadband network set to The Foothills Connection is a bimonthly newsletter published by Foothills Broadband, ©2015. It is distributed move region forward without charge to all customers of the company. ur culture is fascinated with potential. We talk about athletes at the high school level having great Opotential, with hopeful futures at the college and pro levels. We talk about friends having the potential to be successful in business, education or the arts. When we view something as having potential, we believe that Foothills is a member-owned cooperative within it lies the power for it to become greater than what it is that has been serving residents and now, to accomplish good things and impact lives in a positive businesses in eastern Kentucky since 1951. In the early days, we only offered way. telephone service over copper wires. Over I can’t think of a better description for the broadband network the years, we have expanded our network we are building today. and now provide broadband Internet and cable TV services over fiber-optic It’s exciting news that much of the mainline construction on facilities to much of our service area. Our our fiber-to-the-home network is complete. Construction has service area includes Magoffin County RUTH CONLEY started in the Lickburg area of Northern Magoffin County. This and portions of Johnson County and fiber build will serve the communities of Lick Creek, Pricey, Lawrence County. We love being part of Chief Executive Officer the communities we serve; our customers Bloomington (Route 1081), Improvement, Rockhouse, Coon are our families, friends and neighbors Creek, Lacey Creek and Flat Fork, with completion anticipated in late 2015.