Warning!
For Windows Live ID Users

Spam Warning
NewEgg Emails are a Hoax

Skeeters - Were They Really Seen Carrying Away a Small Dog?
How to Deal with the Vampires of the Insect World

Your Internet is at Risk!
The National Broadband Plan

DSL and Fiber Optics
How Does It Rate Compared to Other Types of Internet Service?

Hot August Deals
See What We've Got Cooking

Webstreaming of High School Games
DoubleHeader Weekend to Start the Season

Husker Pay-per-View
On Hartelco Cable TV This Season

Local Sports Schedules
For Both HPS and CCHS This School Year

This Month's FAQ
What Is An IP Address?

Sites Of The Month
Great Sites To Check Out In August

Short Tutorial
Creating Compressed Files And Folders

WEBSITE COMPASS ONLINE
Your Guide To Understanding The Internet

Hello Hartel.net Subscribers!

This August issue is filled with all kinds of tips to help you do all kinds of things, including outsmart scammers, save money, and make the most of your free time. It starts with a warning about a Windows Live ID scam that's circulating via e-mail, and a reminder to keep up your regular precautions against phishing. You'll also learn about the purpose of an IP address, and find out how to create compressed files and folders. We think you'll also enjoy the variety in our Great Sites section; these resources feature everything from caffeine counts in popular foods to 137 years of content from Popular Science.

Some of the local articles discuss a new spam email which appears to be from NewEgg, those pesty mosquitos, the FCC's flawed National Broadband Plan, and a short comparison of DSL and Fiber Optics to other types of Internet services. We also have some great deals on Dell desktop PCs and another Clean-Up special promo.

Plus we'll be again webstreaming the audio of all home varsity games for football and basketball again this year.

And we're also excited to announce that Hartelco Cable TV will be carrying three Husker Pay-per-View games on our cable TV system.

And we also have both schools' sports schedules available to download.

The goal of each of our eNewsletters is to keep our subscribers informed regarding their Internet connection and to improve their Internet experience. We think you'll find this information interesting.

To see what's inside this issue, simply scroll down the eNewsletter or click on the links within the index to the left. Thanks for reading!

- The Hartel.net Team
 

Although we can't say for sure that it was a small dog (gopher perhaps?), but the mosquitos this summer have been relentless. But we've got some good news for you! Here's the low-down from the Center for Disease Control and Dr Greene.com with helpful ways to combat the pesky buggers if you must venture outdoors. (Pssst - we were just kidding about the dog and gopher!)

CDC Site for Insect Repellents

CDC Site for Avoiding Mosquito Bites

Dr Greene's Tips for Avoiding Mosquito Bites

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But what happened instead was this: The FCC forgot about rural America. Instead, their plan as currently proposed, would be devastating for nearly all of middle America. You see, the FCC considers even cities like Omaha and Lincoln and even Kansas City to be "rural".

Click here to watch a short video on the National Broadband Plan created by Hill Country Telephone Company in Texas. The same points resonate right here in Cedar County.

The National Broadband Plan proposes the following:

1. A minimum standard of 4Mg per second download speeds for rural America, while urban areas have a much higher standard of 100Mg per second speeds.
2. The plan eliminates incentives to providing faster broadband speeds.
3. Universal Service Funding formulas to be changed. This could increase local phone rates by as much as $50 per month!
4. It will abandon the current universal service system which brought phone service with reasonable pricing to all rural areas of the U.S.

The plan may:

• Sharply increase rates for rural consumers all across the U.S.
• Place rural communities at an economic disadvantage for attracting both families and businesses to their communities.
• Reduce educational opportunities.
• Inhibit rural health care opportunities.
• Limit rural consumer's use for many current and future web-based services and applications.
• It will not create services reasonable comparable to urban areas with reasonably comparable rates as mandated by the Telecom Act of 1996.
• It will not treat customers living in rural areas the same as urban areas.

So what can you do?

• Write or call the five FCC Commissioners voicing your opposition.
• Write or call your Senators and Congressman and ask them to oppose the FCC's National Broadband Plan.
• Ask other members of the community, your family and friends, and other community groups to also make contacts with legislators and the FCC to oppose the plan!

To Contact the FCC Commissioners via E-mail

Chairman Julius Genachowski: Julius.Genachowski@fcc.gov
Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov
Commissioner Robert McDowell: Robert.McDowell@fcc.gov
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn: Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov
Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker: Meredith.Baker@fcc.gov

To Contact Our Legislators via E-mail:

Senator Mike Johanns: johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=ContactSenatorJohanns

Senator Ben Nelson: bennelson.senate.gov/contact-me.cfm

Congressman Adrian Smith: www.house.gov/formadriansmith/issues_subscribe.htm

Together, maybe we can get their attention and have the FCC's National Broadband Plan changed before rural America is devastated! Please call Hartelco with any questions regarding the National Broadband Plan at 402-254-3901.

Below are excerpts from a white paper entitled: PROVIDING WORLD-CLASS BROADBAND: The Future of Wireless and Wireline Broadband Technologies. This white paper was written by Vantage Point Solutions for the Foundation for Rural Service.

• "The amount of bandwidth per customer is significanly greater for a FTTP network when compared to a wireless network. Using the technologies available today, the bandwidth delivered to a cusomer can be more than 100 times greater than what is possible over a wireless network under similar conditions. The bandwidth advantage for FTTP will increase significantly in the coming years due to technology advances with the electronics."

• "Each new generation of FTTP electronics allows the service provider to offer significantly more bandwidth over greater distances. There is no end in sight as to the amount of bandwidth that is possible over fiber cables."

• "Because of fundamental limitations in the radio spectrum, wireless broadband has practical capacity limits and will not be able to provide enough throughput to serve the broadband needs of all consumers."

• "...wireless technologies share their bandwidth among many customers. For example, if 100 customers were to share 25 Mbps, each would effectively receive 250 kpbs if all were using the system at the same time."

In the white paper's summary, fiber optics was the only type of Internet service that graded the highest rating as "excellent" for low, medium, high, and ultra-high speed broadband!

Hartelco is thrilled and excited to bring fiber optics to all our friends and neighbors in the Hartington and Bow Valley area..

• New Dell Desktops with 19" wide monitor. This includes a 2.93Ghz processor, 320Gb hard drive, 4Gb of RAM and more! These desktops are on hand and have great Cash-N-Carry pricing at waaay under $800. And remember that we'll meet or beat any locally advertised pricing. Cash-N-Carry pricing only good while supplies last!
• Do you have a PC that has been recently infected or running slow? We have a Clean-Up Special were we'll clean up your PC by scanning it for viruses, spyware, malware, and optimize it for only $44.95. Offer expires 8/31/2010.
• Or if you need anti-virus software to keep your PC in tip-top shape, we have Norton Anti-virus 2010 for only $29.95. This includes a 12-month license key. Offer expires 8/31/2010.

So stop by Hartelco Computers at 103 West Centre in Hartington or call us at 402-254-3901 for some great deals!

The season kicks off on Thursday Sept 2nd when the Crofton Warriors come to the Community Complex to play the Cedar Catholic Trojans. Crofton has dropped down to Class C-2 this year and is ranked by the Omaha World-Herald at #2 in the state.

Cedar Catholic, the defending C-2 state football runner-up, is ranked #8 in the same rankings. So it's #2 versus #8 in Class C-2 to start the fall football season!

Immediately the following night at the Community Complex is another huge game between local high schools. The Wynot Blue Devils come to town to take on the Hartington High Wildcats at Russ Hochstein Field.

To listen to the games, just go to www.hartel.net and click on Listen Live. The broadcast usually starts 15-20 minutes prior to kickoff.

You can also view the broadcast schedule for the football season.

Please thank the area businesses who sponsor the webstreaming!

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Fox Networks has set the residential price for individual games at $39.95 for the 2010 season, while a 3-game residential package is discounted to $114.85. The commercial or business rate has been set at $325.00 per game.

Residential customers can order either of the first two games or a 3-game package and be eligible for a drawing to win the third PPV game (South Dakota State) for FREE. We'll draw for TWO winners the week after the Idaho game!

If your business would like to order the game, please contact us immediately. Fox Networks is adamant about prosecuting PPV games ordered under false pretenses, and there is a $10,000 fine for each occurence!

For all customers, the deadline for ordering any PPV game is 12:00 Noon on the Friday prior to the game! Note that only the first 50 orders will be taken for each game.

Game orders are being taken now! Call us at 402-254-3901 with any questions or to order any of the PPV games. Go Big Red!

We hope you found this newsletter to be informative. It's our way of keeping you posted on the happenings here. If, however, you'd prefer not to receive these bulletins, click here.

Thanks for your business!

Best regards

The Hartel.net Team




Hartelco
103 W Centre
PO Box 157
Hartington, NE 68739

Ph 402-254-3901

©2010 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this eNewsletter are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.