The Connection
Kennebec Telephone Co., Inc.
October 2010
Volume 10 Issue 5
Manager’s Moment- Roger Beinlich, Controller
People are always looking for new ways to save time and money. One item you may have overlooked is
paying your phone bill by ACH. The savings you would see are: first no postage to mail in your payment,
and you would save time by not writing a check.
It is simple to sign up for ACH; all you need to do is contact our office with a request to be added to the ACH
customers and provide a voided check or your bank information. Then on the 10th of the month your payment is automatically charged to your account. You will continue to receive your phone bill around the first
of the month so you will know the amount of the phone bill.
If you are interested in signing up for ACH, please contact Kennebec Telephone and one of the CSR’s will be
happy to help you.
New Employees
Dana Dozark
Meet Dana Dozark, the most recent addition to
Ty Uthe
Kennebec Telephone company’s Technical team!
Kennebec Telephone welcomes Ty Dana grew up on a farm south of Pukwana and
Uthe to our group. Ty attended
graduated from Chamberlain High School in 1997.
Spearfish schools, and prior to
He attended Mitchell Technical Institute for an AAS
joining KTCI he was employed by
degree in Telecommunications.
Moore Brothers Construction.
Before joining KTCI, Dana
Ty joins us in the maintenance engineer position and worked with CHR Solutions, forcontinues to use his carpentry skills in this job.
merly Martin Group in Mitchell.
When he has spare time, Ty enjoys four-wheeling,
In his spare time, Dana likes to
snowmobiling, and lawnmower racing.
fish, hunt, watch NASCAR, and
spending time with friends and
family.
Directory Additions
Diedrich, Jerry & Pat..........895-2126
Inside this Issue:
Urban, Chad & Bethany ....895-2314
Page
Article
Sheer Illusions...................869-2250
1
Manager’s Moment
1
New Employees
2
Spoofing
Mark These Dates
2
FAQ’S
October 8th.... Charley’s Welding & Auto Grand Opening 3
Charles Bowar nws Award
October 11...Columbus/Native American Day-Office Closed 3
Smart Phones
The Connection
SPOOFING
We’ve been getting a lot of calls lately regarding telemarketer calls that are showing up with
the caller ID information showing local numbers.
These calls are examples of Spoofing. The definition of spoofing is a stuation in which one person or
program successfully masquerades as another by
falsifying data and, thereby, gaining an illigitimate
advantage.
Since telephone companies have found ways to
stop soliciting phone calls that do not show their
calling name and number, the practice of spoofing
has become more common. A telemarketer can
now purchase software that displays a number of
their choice when calling. This means a telemarketer in New York can call your phone and make it
look like they are calling from an 869 or 895 num-
ber. Most of us see a local number on our caller ID
display, answer the call... and find ourselves, at that
point, connected to a telemarketer.
Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about
this since the number is not really being used.
There are a couple of ways to reduce the number of
telemarketer calls you receive. Get your number on
the National Do not Call Registry, this is a free service for any phone, including cell phones. KTCI also
offers a Telemarketer Call Screening feature, for $2
per month. Both of these services will greatly reduce the number of calls you get from the dreaded
suppertime telemarketers!
Call or email our office for more information about
spoofing and telemarketers.
FAQ’S (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: When Charley’s Welding and Auto Repair opens, will you guys install gas pumps?
A: At this time we have no plans to put in gas pumps. Mechanic work, tires, windshields, welding, and
other things, but no gas pumps.
Q: Is Kennebec Telephone ever going to offer DVR’s to their customers?
A: We are currently in the process of evaluatiing our cable TV and services; we may be able to offer
DVR’s (digital video recorders).They are on the list of items being considered.
Q: What is the difference between CDMA and GSM cell phones?
A: CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and GSM (Global System for Mobile communications), are two
different ways cellphones communicate with cell towers. They are not interchangeable, so a CDMA phone
will not work on a GSM system and vice-versa. Currently in our area; Verizon, AT&T and Kennebec Telephone Cell service are all CDMA, so the service works on all the towers by roaming.
Congratulations to the Halloween
Coloring Contest Winners!
5-6 yr old winner: Brailey LeCompte
2-4 yr old Winner: Blake Larson
Watch for a treat.. not a trick to come your way very soon!
And Thank You to all the fine Young artists in our area
Who colored for us, Stop by the office or check out
Channel 15, to see more!
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The Connection
Staff Spotlight:
Charles Bowar receives
Thomas Jefferson Award
Charles “Charley” Bowar received the National Weather Service’s
most prestigious Thomas Jefferson Award, on September 7th. Charley
has served as Kennebec’s faithful weather recorder for over 40 years!
This award is presented to approximately five of the most outstanding cooperative weather observers in the United States for unusual and
outstanding accomplishments in the field of meteorological observations. Those so honored are selected from the more than 11,000 observers who devote so much time and
effort to recording the climate of this country. The award is named in honor of President Thomas Jefferson, who began taking weather observations in 1776 and maintained a virtually unbroken record through
1816.
Congratulations, Charley, on recieving this prestegious Award!
So... What is a “Smart Phone?”
Smart phones are becoming more and more popular every day. You don’t know what a Smart phone
is? Well, here is the actual definition. A Smart
phone is a mobile phone that offers more advanced
computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary basic feature phone. Smart phones and
feature phones may be thought
of as handheld computers,
integrated within a mobile
telephone. These phones allow
the user to install and run more
advanced applications based
on a specific platform. Smart
phones run complete operating
system software providing a
platform for application developers.
In other words, a smart phone is a cell phone that
can do a lot of neat stuff, depending on your needs.
For example the Motorola Droid allows you to send
and receive emails, access the internet for surfing
the web, and opens up a wide range of downloadable applications. One of my favorites is a GPS
application that allows me to type or speak into
my Droid a place I am looking for and it will tell me
directions to get there. These directions appear on
the phone’s screen as a map, or written out turn by turn direction. There
is also a voice that tells you to “Turn
right 300 feet ahead on 2nd Street”.
If all else fails, and I still manage to
get lost, I still have the option of using the phone to call for directions.
The Motorola “Droid” and Research
in Motion’s “Blackberry” line are two
of the most common smart phones
on the market. KTCI has several
available of these available, so stop in and talk to
us about smart phones, feature phones, and cell
phone plans.
Question of the Month... “What is spoofing?”
Last month’s winner: Connie Penny
Remember, monthly winners names go into drawing for a grill or a fire pit April 2011!
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Kennebec Telephone Co., Inc.
Kennebec Long Distance
Kennebec Telephone Construction
Kennebec Telephone Internet
PowerCom Electric and Communications
Technology & Communications Specialists
220 S Main
PO Box 158
Kennebec, SD 57544
Phone: 605-869-2220
Fax: 605-869-2221
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.kennebectelephone.com
Our mission is to provide the highest quality telecommunications and information service to our customers at an
affordable price. We will strive to offer prompt, friendly, and dependable service along with the latest technology
to attain the highest possible customer satisfaction.
If you would like more information or have questions about anything in this newsletter, feel free to contact us at
605-869-2220.
4:00 pm
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