CONNECTED Q1-2014 WEB

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Winter 2014
Exploring the Valley
L
ocal videographer Carl “C.J.” Johnson
is living the dream with the help of
Chariton Valley internet service. C.J. was
raised on a farm outside of Callao and
moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to pursue an
education in filmmaking. After completing
Film School he began working in
television on such shows as Nickelodeon’s
Unfabulous, Gameshow Marathon,
Cowboy U, and various others. He made
his directorial debut with a video for rock
band Korn’s, “Throw Me Away”. C.J. has
worked extensively with law enforcement
on shows like Speeders, Over the Limit,
and Southern Fried Stings filming things
like high-speed pursuits and chasing after
bank robbers on foot. With more than a
decade of experience in television and film,
C.J. is using that experience to develop
exciting new television properties from his
home outside of Callao. His company, New
Picture Studios, is focused on producing
new, quality entertainment infused with
fun, heart, and substance.
C.J. made his
way back to
Callao in 2010
and is still based
in the country,
a ways outside
of Callao.
Recently, he has
found success
with a show
called, “BillyBob’s Gags to
Riches” (see
photo to right)
which aired on
the Discovery Channel January 28, 2014.
The show revolves around Jonah White,
an eccentric redneck who built a 55 million
dollar empire from novelty redneck teeth
and other gag inventions, and his search for
the next great idea. People come from all
over the country to pitch their inventions to
Jonah because a deal with him could mean
millions in the bank. The other key aspect
of the show is Jonah’s over the top rural
home life, living in a multi-million dollar log
mansion with his wife, four children, and
countless exotic critters including his pet
bobcat and bear. Jonah is a frequent visitor
of the Lolli Livestock Exotic Animal Sales.
“I was a little nervous when the pilot
aired in January, because they don’t really
promote pilots and it wasn’t showing up in
all of the TV listings. In many places it was
slotted as “To Be Announced.” I thought we
were going to be dead in the water, ratingswise. I never could have dreamed we would
beat out President Obama’s State of the
Union address on CNN. We were told that
we had the highest ratings of any Discovery
C.J. Johnson, Callao
New Picture Studios
www.newpicturestudios.com
Channel pilot, ever. After that they added
several slots to replay our show on their
schedule. Right now things are looking
good for a series, and I couldn’t be happier.
Even way out here I have maintained a
connection to the world through Chariton
Valley’s internet services. I have been able
to watch every cut of our show, and give
notes to the editors in Los Angeles, all from
the middle of nowhere. The rural connection
makes it just like being in the LA-based edit
bay,” said C.J.
Sadly C.J.’s father, Jim Johnson, recently
passed away. “Through Chariton Valley’s
rural internet
solutions, I have
been able to run my
business just a few
miles away from
where my family
lives, and spent the
last few years of my
father’s life close
by. I am extremely
thankful for this
C.J. with his father, Jim
technology and all Johnson.
that it has made
possible.”
From Callao to Hollywood
Chariton Valley internet services
making dreams come true
general manager
CONNECTED
Jim Simon
Volume 10 Issue 1
Winter 2014
_________________
Chariton Valley
Board of Directors
Don Shawn, President
Kevin Fischer, Vice President
Holly Wooldridge, Secretary
Gary Scheiderer, Treasurer
Judy Webster
Kelly Linneman
Melissa Cole
Charlotte Miller
C.F. Pagliai, Jr.
General Manager
James Simon
_________________
CONNECTED
is a quarterly magazine for
Chariton Valley customers.
The magazine is produced
by the Corporate Relations
Department of Chariton Valley.
Any comments or
suggestions may be sent to the
e-mail addresses listed below.
Editor:
Jim Walker
[email protected]
Associate Editor:
Donna Bell
[email protected]
Feature Writer/Graphic Designer:
Martina Miller
[email protected]
1213 East Briggs Drive
P.O. Box 67
Macon, MO 63552
www.cvalley.net
Corporate Number:
660-395-9600
Customer Service Numbers:
660-695-9930
660-388-9930
660-277-9930
2
T
hose of you that follow this column
know that I have been providing
reports on regulatory and legislative
activities related to the Federal
Communications Commission’s
reform of the Universal Service Fund
and Inter-carrier compensation.
The National Association of
Regulatory Utility Commissioners
(NARUC) Board of Directors approved
several resolutions that address
key regulatory issues of interest
to rural telecommunications. The
NARUC board approved resolutions
during the NARUC 2014 Winter
Committee Meetings February 9–12 in
Washington, D.C.
Specifically, the board passed a
resolution that recommends the FCC
expand the contribution base for
the Universal Service Fund (USF)
contribution in a way that facilitates
broadband deployment in unserved
areas.
Another resolution that passed
encourages the Commission to
promote broadband deployment
to unserved and underserved areas
through the use of Connect America
Fund reserves in rural broadband
experiments.
This report does not include all the
resolutions adopted by NARUC, but
focuses on those specifically of interest
to rural telecommunications.
On the national scene, Senator Begich
(D-AK) introduced S.1858, titled “The
Rural Broadband Investment Act.”
The bill focuses on correcting some
of the wrongs included in the Federal
Communications Commission’s (FCC)
telecommunications reform measures
introduced in November 2011 that
have devastated the expansion of
broadband service in rural areas. We
cannot predict whether the bill will
pass at this time.
House Republicans have given
notice that they intend to rewrite the
Telecommunications Act. The Act was
first written 1934 and updated in 1996.
The effects of broadband for consumer
usage, e.g. education, commerce,
etc. was not known at the time and
therefore not taken into consideration
in the 1996 rewrite. The announcement
was made by Rep. Greg Walden (ROR). House members said that they
intend for the rewrite to be completed
with much planning and consideration
and will take at least two years.
Terry Wheeler, the new FCC
chairman, has publicly stated that he
has ordered the FCC staff to eliminate
the Quantile Regression Analysis
(QRA) and find another method to
evaluate rural telecommunications
costs. The QRA in its original form
was detrimental to Chariton Valley.
Changes were made to the QRA that
eased some of the negative effects
for Chariton Valley, but many rural
telecommunications companies were
harmed by the QRA.
The actions described above
are the result of efforts by rural
telecommunication companies to
educate Congress of the true effects
of the FCC’s reform measures on the
rural economy and rural consumers.
We have seen some relief from the
reform’s measures this past year, but
many of the changes to universal
service support and inter-carrier
compensation will remain in effect
for the coming years, resulting in
uncertainty, reduced revenues and
higher costs to rural consumers.
If your phone number appears in (parentheses) in this
newsletter, call 395-9636 within 30 days, and a $10 credit
will be applied to your next telephone bill.
CONNECTED - Winter 2014
TM and © 2013 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
TM and © 2013 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
An Amazing Phone
Deserves An Amazing 4G LTE
Nationwide Network.
TM and © 2013 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
An Amazing Phone Deserves
An Amazing 4G LTE
Nationwide
Network.
An Amazing Phone Deserves
660-395-9000 • 800-769-8731 • WWW.CV4G.COM
660-395-9000 • 800-769-8731 • WWW.CV4G.COM
An Amazing 4G LTE
CONNECTED - Winter 2014 11
Y
ou and your
payment are
very important to
us. We want to be
sure we are available to assist you
with anything
you need, and
that your payment
gets to us as quickly
and as efficiently as
possible. Therefore,
Chariton Valley
takes advantage of the lockbox system.
A lockbox is a Post Office box that is accessible directly
by the bank. The funds are immediately deposited into our
account without first being processed; thereby, speeding
up cash collection and the availability of funds. There is
a very small service charge for the lockbox, but the faster
availability of funds and the availability of our customer
service representatives far out ways the cost.
Without a lockbox, customer service representatives
would have to make a trip to the post office, open the payments, and post the payments one at a time to the customers’ accounts. They would then have to prepare a deposit
and make a trip to the bank. While a customer service
representative is spending time processing payments they
are not available to assist customers. As a local Telephone
Cooperative we feel that customer service is top priority
and we want our customer service representatives at your
disposal.
Also important to Chariton Valley is that we are able to
manage incoming money and use it as effectively as possible. A lockbox speeds up processing time for your payments. Money received from customers paying their bills
is used to operate the cooperative. The money is available
for Chariton Valley to use more quickly as it is processed
faster via a lockbox.
Chariton Valley offers other convenient ways to pay
your bill without having to leave the comforts of your
home or buying postage. If internet is available, our
BillNet Option offers benefits other than just making a
payment. It is a convenient way to view your bill online.
You can also choose not to receive a paper bill and help the
cooperative keep costs down. You will receive an e-mail
notice when your bill is ready to view. Simply go to
Cvalley.net and click on BillNet to get registered. This is a
free service to our customers!
Our customer service representatives are also available
for you to make a payment over the phone. They can take
not only credit and debit card
payments, but echeck payments as well. Echeck payments are one-time withdrawals directly from your bank
account. We also have the
convenience of establishing
automatic bill payments over
the phone. You can arrange to
have your credit or debit card
automatically charged on the
due date, or have the payment
automatically taken out of your bank account. If you take
advantage of payments over the phone, it is a good time
to ask the Customer Service Representative to review your
account and check for current promotions or bundles that
could save you money.
No matter how you choose to pay your bill, Chariton
Valley is pleased to have you as a customer and looks forward to serving you in the future.
2014 Awesome Artist
Emily Yeo wins best design
E
mily Yeo, third grader at Westran Elementary in
Huntsville is awarded this year’s trophy for Best
Design in Chariton Valley’s 2014 Awesome Artist drawing contest. She is the daughter of Richard Yeo and Nancy
Courtney and Cindy Yeo.
The Awesome Artist program,
formally known as Catch-A-Sketch,
now in its eighth year incorporates
community children with the Chariton Valley Telephone Directory. Area
third graders are invited to submit a
drawing of their choice in the chance
it will be selected to publish in the
Chariton Valley Telephone Directory.
This year 256 sketches were received from 13 area schools. A
Emily Yeo, 2014 Best
Design Winner along
committee narrowed the entries to
with her teacher, Mrs.
50 sketches and
Morris.
many of those
appear in the yellow pages of the
Chariton Valley Telephone Directory.
All participants’ names were entered for a $25 cash prize drawing.
Prestyn Peavler of Atlanta School won
the cash prize. Prestyn is the son of
Jesse and Chasiti Peavler.
Check out the drawings in the yellow pages of the new 2014 Chariton
Prestyn Peavler, $25
Valley Telephone Directory that reCash Winner along with
cently arrived or will soon be arriving his teacher, Mrs. Moon.
at your home or business.
Winning Design!
Mini Telephone Directories
Coming soon!
Chariton Valley Telepho
ne Corporation
1213 E. Briggs Dr.
P.O. Box 67
Macon, MO 63552
FEBRUARY
CHARITON VAL
LEY TELEPHONE
DIRECTORY
FEBRUARY 2014
100322
Same great access to all your
local white page listings in
a manageable size for daily
use. Large print. Easy to use!
Perfect for your purse, book
bag, tractor...
Quantities are limited! Stop
by any of our offices and get
one today! Mini directories
available by April 1st for $5
each.
10
CONNECTED - Winter 2014
2014
Telephone Dire
ctory
Visit Our Comple
te Online Directo
directory.cvalley.
ry
net
Download Our FREE
Photo submitted
by: Mark Ramsey
- Salisbury
App
MYLOCALYP
Anabel
Atlanta
Axtell
Bethel
Bevier
Bosworth
Brookfield
Brunswick
Bucklin
Bynumville
Cairo
Callao
Carrollton
Clarence
Clark
Clifton Hill
Dalton
De Witt
After Hours Trouble
Reporting:
395-9000 or 800-76
9-8731
Including Listing
s For:
www.cvalley.net
Hunnewell
Emden
Huntsville
Maud
Elmer
Renick
Jacksonville
Mendon
Ethel
Keytesville
Middle Grove Rothville
Excello
Shelbina
Lentner
Forest Green Mike
Shelbyville
Leonard
Moberly
Granville
St. Catherine
Macon
Mount Airy
Hale
Salisbury
Madison
New Boston
Higbee
Marceline
New Cambria Summer
Holiday
Triplett
Prairie Hill
Woodlawn
CONNECTED - Winter 2014
3
10
2014 Chariton Valley
Couple of the Year
S
weethearts for over 67 years, Marie (Rohlfer) and
Leonard Rustemeyer of Salisbury are Chariton
Valley’s 2014 Couple of the Year! Marie and Leonard
were long-time friends before they were married.
Their families were friends and Marie was good
friends with
Leonard’s sister,
Regina.
On October 15,
1946, Marie and
Leonard were
married. They
raised 10 children.
They started a
new business,
Rustemeyer
Plumbing and
Heating, which
is now managed
by their son Mark
and nephew Troy
Hayward. They farmed and had dairy cows. When
asked their secret to a long, happy marriage they
said, “Working together is key”.
When they
are not busy
with their 20
grandchildren
and 20 great
grandchildren,
Leonard enjoys
hunting and
has a passion
for woodworking.
Marie’s hobbies
include reading and
gardening. They are both active members of the St.
Joseph Catholic Church in Salisbury. When asked
how their faith played a part in their lives, Marie
simply stated, “A family that prays together, stays
together.”
Leonard will be 90 years young in March, and
Marie will be 87 years young in June.
Congratulations Marie and Leonard on your
beautiful love story! We wish you many more years
of happiness and good health!
2015 Directory Cover Photo Contest
T
he Chariton Valley
Telephone Directory photo
contest is the place to show
off your favorite nature
shot. We are in search of
that special photograph that
depicts the beauty of our
area for the 2015 Chariton
Valley Telephone Directory.
Entering our free photo contest
is easy. Simply mail entries to:
Congratulations!
Marilyn Linscott from
Brookfield winner
of Chariton Valley’s
Customer Satisfaction
Survey drawing
4
CONNECTED - Winter 2014
A landline phone refers to the wired, traditional telephone
service found in homes and businesses.
1. Safety. In an emergency, your address automati-
cally displays on the screen at the call center when dialing
911 from your landline phone.
2. Reliability. Chariton Valley has built redundancy
into its network to provide you with more reliable service.
This redundancy plan makes allowances to protect against
unforeseen service interruptions such as lightning storms
and power outages.
3. Cost. With Chariton Valley, you have unlimited local
usage for every call you make or receive within the 18 exchanges and to Macon Chariton Valley subscribers without
additional charges.
4. Dependable Quality.
Landline phone service
offers the highest quality voice transmissions.
5. Privacy. You can be assured of privacy when calling from your corded landline phone. Eavesdroppers using
simple devices, such as scanners or even other cellphones, cannot intercept landline calls.
6. SpeedNet.
Many customers are enjoying Chariton Valley’s high-speed internet, delivered over their state-of-the
art landline connection.
7. Enhance Features. Today’s phone systems are designed to enhance landline connection features. A landline
connection makes common features such as call transfer and call forwarding possible.
8. Voice Mail.
A landline phone can provide you with access to features such as Chariton Valley’s voice mail. With
voice mail, you can check your messages from any phone, at any time, no matter your location.
9. Directory Listings.
able to directory assistance.
Your landline number will be automatically listed in the telephone directory and avail-
10. Data/Voice Capabilities.
(695-3786) A landline connection also provides many capabilities for Business
Communications Systems that combine data with voice.
Photo Contest 2015
ATTN: Donna Bell
Chariton Valley Telephone Corporation
PO Box 67
Macon, MO 63552
Or, email [email protected]
Subject line: Photo Contest 2015
The deadline to submit photos is June 30, 2014. Photo
submission is limited to 4 photos per contest entrant.
Questions call 395.9636 or email [email protected].
Good Reasons for Using a
Landline Phone
When bad weather hits, will your family be prepared?
S
Stop by any Chariton Valley retail
center and ask how you can enter
for a chance to win a $100 Chariton
Valley gift certificate!
evere storms and heavy winds can easily disrupt electrical service. Power outages could also occur as a result of any
number of other reasons. While landline service generally continues to work during a commercial power outage, some
networks and cordless phones that require batteries may continue to work for a period of time during a power outage.
For safety’s sake, Chariton Valley urges you to always have at least one corded phone in your home. “A balanced choice is
often the best one – a combination of landline and wireless phone use may be the right choice for you.” ~ Federal Communications
Commission
CONNECTED - Winter 2014 9
Customer Comments:
Tracie Kruessel & Susan Koenig
C
hariton Valley internet
customers, Tracie Kruessel of Salisbury and Susan
Koenig of Forest Green rely
on CV internet services every
day to get the job done...from
home!
Tracie has been working from home as a medical
transcriptionist for the past
12 years for Boone Hospital.
“Working from home is wonderful. My hours are flexible,
so I can be there for my family
and be more involved with
school activities. Plus, I don’t
have to deal with high gas
prices and winter weather,”
said Tracie. “I’m very grateful
for reliable internet service
and if I do have a problem,
Chariton Valley’s customer
service is top notch.”
8
CONNECTED - Winter 2014
Susan has worked from
home for over 20 years, but
just recently signed up with
Chariton Valley internet
services after moving to the
area. “The speeds are great
and never miss a beat! You
wouldn’t expect this type
of service in the middle of a
bean field,” laughed Susan.
“I’ve dealt with larger phone
companies and it’s atrocious.
The right hand doesn’t know
what the left hand is doTracie Kruessel relies on CV
ing. It’s never like that with
internet services to work
Chariton Valley. Everything
from home.
is on a personal basis and
the CSRs make you feel like
family. Now that you’re offering Unlimited Long Distance,
my services are complete. I’m
very grateful!”
2014 Board of Director elections
Accepting nominations
M
embers of CVTC
will be able to
participate in the election
of three board members
at the 2014 annual
Shareholders Meeting on
September 4, 2014. The
three board members
will be selected from
the following areas: One
from the Northwest Area
representing the New
Boston, Bucklin, Ethel,
New Cambria, Prairie
Hill and Bynumville
exchanges; and two
from the Southeast Area
representing the Clifton
Hill, Huntsville, and
Jacksonville exchanges.
A nominating committee
will be selected to
nominate candidates
for the 2014 election. If
you know of a qualified
candidate for the Board
of Directors from these
areas, please call (660)
395-9638 or send the
candidates name and
address by May 15th to:
CVTC
Attn: Nominating
Committee
P.O. Box 67
Macon, MO 63552
The information will
be forwarded to the
Nominating Committee.
SAVE
the date
Chariton Valley’s
2014 Annual Meeting
THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 4th
Salisbury High School
CONNECTED - Winter 2014 5
Brrr, It’s Cold
T
he winter of 2013-14 will be
technicians have been providing
the ONT is located outside the
remembered as one of the
good service for over 60 years.
premise, the technician is exposed
coldest periods in recent memory. They are accustomed to meeting
to the elements while performing
With daytime highs frequently
customer needs regardless of
the repairs. The wires contained
not rising above single digits
weather conditions because they
inside the ONT are too small
and night time lows dropping
know that long after winter’s cold to be manipulated with gloved
well below zero, the frigid
days are forgotten, their efforts at hands so the technicians must
temperatures posed a real danger installing or restoring service will work barehanded regardless of
to persons exposed to the extreme be remembered and appreciated. the cold. As explained by Curtis
cold. The wind chill brought
One of the problems caused by Strodtman, combination install/
temperatures as low as 25 below
cold weather is the contracting
repair technician at Salisbury,
zero and created a situation
and loss of flexibility of the
“On really cold days about five
where exposed skin could freeze
fiber cables in the optical
minutes is all you can stand at
in a matter of minutes. The cold
network terminal box (ONT),
a time. After that your hands
weather forced
become too
the closure of
cold and numb
area schools as
to work the
administrators
cable.” When
sought to protect
the cold becomes
students from
unbearable the
the dangerous
technicians
conditions. For
return to their
many of us
truck for a quick
exposure to the
warm up and
cold was limited
then go back to
to walking
their task. On a
from the house
recent day the
to the car and
cold was made
even at that the
worse by the
cold seemed to
fact the work
penetrate each
at a business
layer of clothing.
location had to
Regardless of the cold temperatures Chariton Valley’s technicians often find it
Regardless
be done after 5:00
necessary to work without gloves when re-wiring ONT boxes.
of the cold
p.m. to avoid
it was business as usual for
which is located on the outside
interfering with the operation
Chariton Valley’s install/repair
of the customer’s business or
of the business. The assignment,
technicians. The cold of winter
residence. When that occurs the
which required two technicians,
is not a deterrent to good
fragile cables break and must be
was given to Curtis Strodtman
service and Chariton Valley’s
repaired by a technician. Since
and Alan Noll. “We had to wait
6
CONNECTED - Winter 2014
Keeping sidewalks clear of snow is another winter chore.
anyone to become stranded,” observed Jerry, “So
in extreme situations two trucks are sent out so
that one can assist the other if it becomes stuck
in a snow drift.” Grauel also noted that farmers
frequently help clear the roads into isolated sites
and provide towing assistance when they can.
“We greatly appreciate the assistance from our
customers as they help us better serve them,”
commented Grauel.
Chariton Valley’s administrative employees are
not immune from the hazards imposed by winter
weather. Although they do not perform their
work outside in the element, they still must brave
treacherous driving conditions to arrive at work.
During a recent ice storm it was decided to send
employees home early before the full impact of
the storm was felt. Ryan Johnson, director of sales
and marketing explained, “If our customers are
unable to make it in to our retail centers due to
icy roads there is no reason to require our sales
associates to remain at the store. We wanted them
to make it safely home before the roads became
impassable.”
With the calendar turning to March spring
cannot be far off and the warmer days, green
grass and robins will be a welcome sight.
until the business closed,” recalled Alan, “And by
then the temperature had fallen to 13 below zero.
It took us about an hour and a half to complete
the work but we made sure the business could
reopen the next morning.”
Chris Hayward, outside plant supervisor at
Huntsville, noted that the cable reacts to the
cold and becomes more difficult to work with.
“When the cable is unrolled from the spool it will
retain the spirals and is more difficult to work
into a small space such as an
ONT. It sometimes takes an
extra set of hands to make
the connections and on very
cold days two technicians
are sent out to the same job.
I want to limit the time the
techs are exposed to the cold
and also insure the repairs
or installations are promptly
made.”
Wintry weather can
make for hazardous driving
conditions and the remote
locations that Chariton
Valley services increase
the possibility that service
vehicles will become stuck
The weak glow of the setting sun foretells of another cold winter night.
in the snow. Jerry Grauel,
director of plant operations,
said it is sometimes necessary to send two
vehicles to the same location. “We don’t want
CONNECTED - Winter 2014 7