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What's New - Index
Digital TV Transition Explained
(click to read)
3Mg
and 6Mg Download Speeds Available (click
here)
Bundles Introduced - Phone, Broadband DSL, CATV Discounts (click
here)
For
Conference Calling Services (click here)
For a limited time, get a FREE
Trial on our Conference Calling Services! Call 254-3901 and ask
to have your free conference call setup today!
Calling
Features List (click
here)
Nebraska Universal Service
Fund Explained (click
here)
eNewsletters
Archive
Read our past monthly eNewsletters here.
Just click the appropriate link below.
April 2008
March
2008
February 2008
January
2008
December 2007
November 2007
October
2007
September
2007
August
2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
3Mg
and 6Mg Download Speeds Available
Up to
3Mg or up to 6Mg download speeds are now available through Hartel.net
for the fastest Internet surfing around! 3Mg is the same as 3,000k.
Compare that to a top dialup speed of 56k, and you can see why dialup
Internet is fading into the sunset.
6Mg
is the same as 6,000k. Compared to dialup's 56k speeds, 6Mg is over
115 times faster! Even
our introductory DSL speed of 128k pales in comparison.
If
you have one of our bundles packages that includes Broadband DSL,
you can get the 3Mg speed for only $10 more per month!
Or if you decide to go with the blazing 6Mg speed, it's
only $25 more per month when combined with the Broadband
DSL Bundle or VIP Bundle.
Just
call our office at 254-3901 to increase your DSL speed today!
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Get
a Bundle -- Save a Bundle
Hartington
Telecommunications has Service Bundles to save
customers money, launch our high-speed Broadband
DSL package, and lower
our long distance prices.
When
you signup for any of our Bundle packages, after your first 100
minutes of long distance, any additional long distance minutes are
only $0.08 per minute! That's the lowest
long distance price that we offer!
And
if you signup for either our Broadband Bundle or
VIP Bundle (Video,
Internet, Phone), get up to 1.5Mg
(1500k) download speeds!! And on top of that all, you get
FREE DSL Installation and a FREE
DSL modem with a 12-month contract!
If
you've ever thought of switching from dialup to DSL, now is the
time!! Broadband DSL saves you time because of the enormous speed
increase (approximately 25-30 times faster than dialup), it doesn't
make your phone line "busy", plus there's no hourly package
limits!
And
if you already have DSL, call or stop by to see how you can double
your speed or possibly even increase your broadband speed by
over 40 times if you're currently a 128k DSL
package customer!!
All
bundles include three Calling Features of your choice to personalize
your service and make your life easier! Click
here to see our list of calling features available in a bundle or
on a separate basis.
Plus
the bundles are discounted to save
you money over what you'd pay for all of these services
separately! Be sure and call our office at 254-3901
or stop by our office at 104 W Centre St for more details! Signup
NOW and immediately
take advantage of the improved service offerings!!
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Calling
Features List
Click
here to see our list of calling features available in a bundle or
on a separate basis.
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Digital
TV Transition Explained
Analog
TV service ends in February of 2009. Digital broadcasting will then
be required from all network stations. So what does this mean for
you? Here's a little background.
Since
TV programming began, analog broadcasting was the norm. Now the
FCC has declared that the analog radio spectrum should be vacated
to make more space for public safety agencies and wireless communications.
Today's digital broadcasting is mostly running concurrent with the
analog broadcasts. However as stated above, the analog transmissions
will end in February 2009.
What
to do?
If you're
a CedarVision Cable TV customer, there's nothing that you need to
worry about. CedarVision Cable TV will continue to carry all broadcast
signalling after the February 2009 deadline. Our cable TV system
is an analog system, and we will convert all digital signals automatically
to analog after the February 2009 deadline. All CedarVision Cable
TV signalling will remain the same.
If you
use "rabbit ears" or a set-top antenna to receive TV broadcasts
and have only analog TVs in your household, then after February
2009, you will need to get a digital-to-analog converter box so
your TV can display the broadcasts. The FCC has stated that they
will subsidize consumers for purchasing digital-to-analog converter
boxes. Households can apply for up to two $40 coupons starting after
January 1, 2008. The converter boxes will not give you a "high-definition"
signal. A very brief comparison of digital TV versus HDTV is explained
below.
Other
points to remember:
- Digital
TV is not necessarily HDTV (High-Definition
TV), but all HDTVs are digital.
- A
Digital TV television can be "standard definition" (SD)
or it can be "high-definition" (HDTV).
- If
a TV set is labeled as HDTV, it is a
digital TV.
- Analog
TVs are always "square" in size and are becoming scarce
at electronics stores as dealers discount prices.
- Analog
TVs can still be used after February 2009 with CedarVision
Cable TV.
- A
digital-to-analog converter box, or a digital set-top box, or
a digital roof-top antenna may be needed if you do not
have CedarVision Cable TV.
- Digital
TVs can be "square" in shape, but most digital TVs have
a "wide-screen" shape.
- All
HDTVs have a "wide-screen" shape.
- CedarVision
Cable TV does not have the ability to offer high-definition programming
at this time, as our system is analog.
- You
can use a digital TV with CedarVision
Cable TV, but we convert all digital signals to analog before
sending the signal to your house.
- Likewise
you can use a HDTV television with CedarVison Cable TV, but you
won't be able to take advantage of the HDTV capabilities unless
you rent HDTV movies and play them with a high-definition DVD
player.
CedarVision
Cable TV hopes to transition our analog cable system to digital,
but it will be several years before that occurs as there are "bugs"
still to be worked out in the new technology we plan to use. At
that point, we hope to have many channels of HDTV programming and
Video on Demand services as well. But for now, we will continue
with our analog system and will convert any digital TV signals to
analog signals. We will keep you updated on our progress.
If you
are shopping for a new TV during this upcoming year, we suggest
to:
- purchase
a digital TV.
- consider
getting a TV with HDTV capabilities for when HDTV becomes available
on CedarVision Cable TV.
-
shop
locally were experts from Hartington can address your specific
TV questions.
How can I be sure that I’m buying a Digital TV?
By law, beginning March 1, 2007, all television reception devices
(including TVs, VCRs, DVRs, etc) imported into the U.S. or shipped
in interstate commerce must contain a digital tuner. Retailers may
continue to sell analog-only devices from existing inventory, but
must prominently display on or near the analog-only device a Consumer
Alert label with this advisory:
Consumer
Alert
This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and
will require a converter box after February 17, 2009 to receive
over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the nation’s
transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue
to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles,
VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. For more information, call
the Federal Communications Commission at
1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission’s
digital television website at: www.dtv.gov.
Please
remember these points when shopping for new TVs during the upcoming
year. It may save you many headaches and frustration.
For
more information about the digital TV transition, the FCC has an
excellent website: http://www.dtv.gov/consumercorner.html
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Nebraska
Universal Service Fund Explained
What
is NUSF?
The Nebraska Universal Service Fund (NUSF) is a fund that ensures
that the dial tone is there and affordable, no matter where you
live. It offsets the cost of providing that reliable service regardless
of how far from town you are. It offsets the costs of making sure
that every Nebraskan has access to telecommunications services.
Thanks to the Nebraska Telecommunications Association members, that
affordable and reliable telecommunications network/system/structure
is in place, more than 100 years after the invention of the telephone.
Partially with support of the Nebraska Universal Service Fund –
and ongoing investment in upgrading and maintaining the network
– that network/system/structure now supports cutting-edge
technologies like the Internet – again, available to all Nebraskans
no matter where they live.
Nebraska is a diverse state with population and geographic challenges,
due to densely populated urban areas, and sparsely-populated rural
areas. For instance, it may be less expensive for telecommunications
companies to provide service in larger cities. But many of those
same companies meet the challenge of providing that reliable and
affordable service to all Nebraskans, even those where the cost
to provide the service is very high. Our commitment to all Nebraskans
means that we provide the same reliable and affordable service to
those thousands of Nebraskans living miles from town. That’s
where the Nebraska Universal Service Fund comes in. The Fund is
there to keep telecommunications services affordable. Without the
Fund, some rural customers would have to pay hundreds of dollars
a month just for basic service/dial tone, and low-income families
may not be able to afford a phone.
What does the NUSF do?
Nebraska has in excess of 11,000 miles of buried fiber optic cable.
That network is provided along the way by companies who also offer
land line services to rural customers in high-cost areas. Without
NUSF available to support the rural service, the investment is not
there to provide the “comparable service at comparable rates
for all Americans no matter where they live” that we discussed
earlier. That is the vital role NUSF plays in supporting the statewide
telecommunications network for all telecommunications applications.
And that’s not all the Nebraska Universal Service Fund does.
The NUSF also funds the Nebraska Telephone Assistance Program (N-TAP),
a program that lowers monthly phone bills for qualified low-income
families. Without the Nebraska Universal Service Fund, these customers
likely would not be connected to the network. And these customers
aren’t just rural customers – they live all across our
state.
The Nebraska Universal Service Fund does many other things too.
Money from the Fund supports the innovative Nebraska TeleHealth
System, which allows doctors, radiologists, and other specialists
to “visit” the smallest Nebraska communities every single
day – via telecommunications. Nebraskans in rural areas now
can access medical information around the world – thanks to
the network provided by the Fund. Not only doctors and hospitals,
but also schools and libraries benefit from the comprehensive network.
Because of investments in the network, some of which are made possible
by the NUSF, schools and libraries enjoy the benefits. Expenditures
from the Fund bring telecommunications technology into the smallest
classroom and the most remote libraries.
Does the NUSF affect cell phone service?
Yes! Thanks to our investment in copper and fiber – which
is out of sight under the ground – plus our continuing purchases
of technology to make sure the system is reliable – all the
other “new” technology is possible. In fact, without
the “land line” system we have developed, it would be
almost impossible to make wireless telephone calls, or connect to
the Internet, or to place voice calls over the Internet.
That’s because these new tools rely on us – the backbone
of the whole system. Wireless-to-wireless phone calls don’t
go directly from one hand-held device to another. The call goes
to a tower, then along the underground network to a computer. Our
computers route that call correctly to another tower, and the call
winds up in the recipient’s wireless phone. Without the landline
network/system/structure, the wireless technology we know today
wouldn’t work.
Does the NUSF affect Internet and broadband services?
Yes! You may have heard some entities say recently that they want
to be able offer “broadband services” but they don’t
want to offer “phone service.” We now see companies
offering Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service through
your computer over the Internet. With VoIP, broadband IS
phone service, so that’s simply not true. But if we look at
Internet services we see the same network being used to provide
Internet as is used to provide VoIP, obviously, and wireless phone
service, and land-line services. The network is one big chain linked
together to provide a seamless system of telecommunications services
to Nebraskans across our state.
How is the NUSF funded?
Because legislators, regulators and other policymakers in Nebraska
have determined that reliable and affordable telecommunications
service is so important to all of us, the Nebraska Universal Service
Fund was created. Money for the Fund comes from a small percentage
collected on each monthly billing statement. In turn, the money
that’s collected is directed by regulators to offset the costs
that telecommunications companies take on in our mission to provide
service universally – in other words, to provide service to
customers no matter where they live or how high the cost to connect
them to those they want to communicate with.
And, as mentioned, money from the Fund accomplishes so many other
things, in addition to offsetting the costs to provide service to
everyone everywhere…innovative health-care solutions, distance
learning and other education initiatives.
The agriculture industry benefits because farmers and ranchers across
Nebraska now have access to high-speed Internet, thanks to the Fund
and to telecommunications companies.
Even more important, thanks to the Nebraska Universal Service Fund
and NTA member companies, public safety officials all across Nebraska
can rely on our land line-based network/system/structure –
and that ever-present dial tone, when critical injuries or natural
disasters threaten Nebraskans. No “roaming" or “weak"
signals hamper fire, police or rescue personnel doing their duty…thanks
to the Nebraska Universal Service Fund.
Summary
It is our mostly-invisible landline network/system/structure, and
the Nebraska Universal Service Fund, that is so important to all
of us and helps provide the quality of life we enjoy. This partnership
helps with public safety, agriculture, economic development, our
rural lifestyle, highspeed Internet access, education, you name
it, and we help provide it, affordably and reliably, every day.
Go to
Nebraska Telecommunication
Associations's website for additional information and resources.
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Check
Out The New Links!!!
We've added some
new fun, entertaining, and seasonal sites to our links page.
Be sure to check them out! If you don't see any of the new
links, be sure to REFRESH or RELOAD your browser! Or just
click here.
Happy surfing!
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