ALPINE COMMUNIQUÉReal Access. Real Value. Real People. Q3 2016 Newsletter

Meet the Crew - Jacob Newman-DekarskePlease join us in welcoming Jacob Newman-Dekarske to Alpine Communications as a network administrator. Jacob joined Alpine in March and his specialty is helping customers troubleshoot Internet connection issues and maintaining Alpine’s network.

Jacob hales from Aurora, Iowa, has five siblings, is engaged to be married to his fiancé Carly, and graduated high school from East Buchanan. He recently earned a Bachelors in Computer Science and a Minor in Software Engineering from Upper Iowa University in Fayette where he currently resides. Jacob previously worked as an Information Technology lab support specialist where he honed his customer service skills. His passion for technology and electronics has inspired him to learn more about soldering, Information Technology, and creating computer programs. (252-3582)

Jacob is an avid gamer and he enjoys playing on his new PlayStation 4, board games, and reading in his spare time. When asked about his experience at Alpine Communications so far, Jacob said, “honestly, I’ve worked at quite a few places but Alpine has been the only place I’ve worked at that truly cares about its customers. Many other companies did enough to get by, but at Alpine people go well beyond the job for the customers.”

SmartHub Puts Account Management at Your FingertipsSmartHub is an app that lets you manage all aspects of your Alpine Communications account online from your mobile device. View and pay your bill with us, receive account notifications, make account changes, report any service troubles, ask questions of our customer service team, and connect with us on social media.

It’s smart to use SmartHub and enjoy these advantages:• Safe and secure environment for bill payments and

transactions between Telco Name and your financial institution

• Super easy way to communicate with Telco Name to notify us of account changes and service issues

• Convenient way to stay updated on our special offers, programs, and events

Visit https://alpinecom.smarthub.coop or download the mobile application for Android or Apple iOS. Please call Alpine customer service at (563) 245-4000 if you need assistance with your new SmartHub login.

Welcome, Jacob!

If your phone number appears in parentheses (XXX-XXXX) in this edition of the Alpine Communiqué,

please give us a call at (563) 245-4000 by September 30, 2016, and we’ll apply a $5 credit to your account!

“I’ve worked at quite a few places but Alpine has been the only place I’ve worked at that truly cares about its customers,” said Jacob.

Aureon Provides Quality Charity Grants to Iowan Communities

6 Things You Don’t Have To Do With A Landline

Main Street Elkader Cultural & Entertainment District Committee – Pictured: Joe Craig, Aureon; Art in the Park Committee members Kris Grover, Leslie Gibbons, and Roger Thomas; and Dirk Buckman, Alpine Communications

St. Peter Lutheran Church – Pictured: Joe Craig, Aureon; St. Peter Lutheran Church members Jane Thein, Samantha Johnson, and Joyce Schoulte

super busy households need super fast internet speeds

SCHOOLLESSON:

FIRST MONTH FREE

UP YOUR INTERNET SPEED TO PLATINUM OR HIGHER AND GET YOUR

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Aureon, in conjunction with Alpine Communications, is pleased to announce that Aureon Charity Grants have been awarded to two organizations within Alpine’s service area. Main Street Elkader Cultural & Entertainment District Committee, a subset of Main Street Elkader received a grant for $450.00 to purchase 10 recycling hampers for the upcoming Art in the Park event. St. Peter Lutheran Church in Garnavillo received a grant for $300.00 towards a chair lift. Upon reviewing an abundance of applications, our Aureon Charity Grant Committee delegated funds to projects committed to the betterment of local Iowan communities. The grants were presented in conjunction with Alpine Communications who sponsored the grant application.

Aureon, the new name for Iowa Network Services, created the grant program in 1993 to increase service and support to rural independent telecommunications companies and the communities they serve. The Aureon Charity Grant Program awards grants on a quarterly basis. Over the course of twelve years, Aureon has donated over $850,000 to local communities and their surrounding areas. We believe in rewarding various organizations for their passion and dedication to advancing their own neighborhoods. Each proposal that is chosen by our Grant Committee reflects the organization’s enthusiasm for serving their communities. Aureon looks forward to aiding future community-improvement projects and extends our best wishes to your own community development. Visit www.alpinecom.net to obtain a copy of the Aureon Charity Grant Program application.

Don’t forget to look for your phone number to win! Having a corded landline phone at home provides

you with many benefits including consistently clearer voice quality than a cell phone. However, did you ever stop to consider all of the little annoying things you don’t have to do with your landline phone? Here are our favorites:

1. You don’t have to think about signal strength.

2. You don’t have to remember to charge the battery.

3. You don’t have to run around the house looking for it when it rings. (245-2029)

4. You don’t have to be careful not to drop it and break the screen.

5. You don’t have to worry about losing your phone.

6. You don’t have to take time to do software upgrades.

Sometimes, keeping things simple is simply better.

You’re Invited To Our 11th Annual Customer Appreciation CelebrationYou’re a valued customer of Alpine Communications, and (873-3340) we’d like to thank you in person. Please stop by our Customer Appreciation Celebration on Thursday, September 22 from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Johnson’s Reception Hall in Elkader. There will be:

• Free food and beverages• Free giveaways for all attendees • Great prizes for lucky drawing winners

We hope to see you and your family there!

NORTHEAST IOWA SHOPPING GUIDEConnecting and securing Northeast Iowa• Find local businesses• Find local white pages information• Get great coupons from local

businesses• Get Local Rewards• Push Notifications to stay

up-to-date

Need local information fast? Get your yellow & white pages search while on the go with the free NE Iowa Shopping Guide app! Whether you are looking for a local restaurant, a place to shop or a plumber, the NE Iowa app is an easy way to find only local information without the clutter of irrelevant information. (964-2240)

IN YOUR APP STORE SEARCH FOR:“Northeast Iowa”

*Service availability and Internet speeds will depend on location. All prices subject to change. Contact us for details. Offer good 8-1-16 through 8-31-16.

Don’t forget to look for your phone number to win!

ELGINCronin, Stephanie 409 Almira St, Elgin 426-0537Gil, Matthew 4298 Golden Rd, Elgin 426-2046Reinhart, Don 508 Mill St, Elgin 426-5259Schroeder, Derek 601 Main St, Elgin 426-1990Sedlmayr, Isaac 22502 A Av, Elgin 426-9144

ELKADERDettman, Jacob & Amy 27955 Galaxy Rd, Elkader 245-0003Elkader Municipal Pool 600 SE High St, Elkader 245-1510Hegmann, Theresa 33002 Hawk Av, Elkader 245-1037Kleve, Megan 210 Mulberry St, Elkader 245-1129Moeller, Linda 120 Reimer St Apt 202, Elkader 245-1043Morrow, Robert 21355 Grape Rd, Elkader 245-3367Murray, Michael 908 N Main St, Elkader 245-2061Neylan Law Office 129 S Main St, Elkader 245-1561

502 S Hwy 52, Guttenberg 252-3600Rupard, Tim & Kayla 19205 Chicken Ridge, Elkader 245-0806Scherf, Erin 24366 Gunder Rd, Elkader 245-2033Schroeder, Chris 20986 Hwy 52, St. Olaf 245-1970Witt, Mary Lee 501 N Main St, Elkader 245-2717

GARBERBailey, Doug 801 Main St, Colesburg 255-2236Everlasting Home Health Care 900 Front St, Guttenberg 255-2002Wood, Sean 35924 Colesburg Rd, Garber 255-2856

GARNAVILLOMcLane, Patrick & Donna 309 E Van Buren St, Garnavillo 964-9383Hansel, Josh 30974 Clayton Rd, Guttenberg 964-1257Russett, Jon & Kristie 531 Main St, Garnavillo 964-1206

GUTTENBERGAnderson, Theresa 311 Main St, Guttenberg 252-1076Faust, Josh 35895 Laser Rd, Colesburg 252-1054Goerdt, June 601 Homestead Cir, Guttenberg 252-0733Hoeger, Maranda 819 N 2 St, Guttenberg 252-0021Jacobs, Doug 215 S 1 St, Guttenberg 252-2388Kaffee 1858 7 Schiller St, Guttenberg 252-2553Martin, Jason, 34174 Nature Av, Guttenberg 252-7451Meyers, Paul & Kelly 923 Acre St, Guttenberg 252-1033Moser, TJ 614 S 2 St, Guttenberg 252-2122Peters, William & Joanne 714 N 1 St, Guttenberg 252-1240Peterson, Erikk & Candi PO Box 461, Guttenberg 252-1043Richardson, Maria 606 Homestead Cir Apt 2, Guttenberg 252-1021Rutledge, Kelly 722 S 1 St, Guttenberg 252-1034Signx Corporation 111 North Hill Dr, Guttenberg 252-0055Smith-Collingwood, Saralyn 506 N 2 St, Guttenberg 252-2087Vozikis, Dino & Marsha 3580 Kiln Rd, Guttenberg 252-5441

MCGREGORArteberry, Jordan 304 Mayo Ln, McGregor 873-1012Barker, Christine 10548 Hwy 76, McGregor 873-1018Berry, Austin 301 Clare Ln, McGregor 873-0917Bucheit, Michael 16935 Kimberly Av, McGregor 873-0242Burton, Dan 132 Main St, McGregor 873-2714Collins, Herb 13894 Jade Av, McGregor 873-1536Ferguson, D J Joe 417 Ann St, McGregor 873-3845Ford, Albert & Rebecca 305 Highpointe Loop, McGregor 873-1005King, Sarah 29942 141 St, McGregor 873-8977

873-5958873-5501 873-1015

McGregor’s Whistle Stop Café Palmer, Kayla & Keith Patten, Jim Smith, Tyler Swinghamer, Erin

111 1 St, McGregor 317 Main St, McGregor 14747 Kittyhawk Av, McGregor 14838 Keystone Rd, McGregor 312 Highpointe Loop, McGregor

873-2001 873-1009

The Left Bank Shop & Gallery 158 Main St, McGregor 329-2010

Visit the Alpine Smart Barn at the Clayton CountyThe 162nd Clayton County Fair is fast approaching! Visit the Alpine Communications Smart Barn, located outside and across from the KCTN FM100 booth. You can sign up for daily prizes, view Alpine FusionTV, learn about Smart Farm, Smart Business, and Smart Home monitoring services, livestock and surveillance camera systems, and meet the friendly Alpine staff. Once again, Alpine will be the “Official Communications Provider” to the Clayton County Fair and will be providing free Wi-Fi Internet access to the fairgrounds.

Mark your calendars for August 3rd – 8th and make the Clayton County Fair your summer destination for good food, live music, 4-H exhibits and the best livestock shows in the state!

“We always experience excellent service, delivered with complete information and in a friendly manner.”

Sandra

“They are always quick. Local is a good thing!”

Michelle

UPDATES AND ADDITIONS

to the 2016-2017 Northeast Iowa

Regional Directory

*OFFICIAL TELEPHONEDIRECTORY OF THEINDICATED CITIES

Northeast Iowa Regional Telephone Directory

026339M

ay 2016-2017

HAWKEYE TELEPHONECOMPANY

ALPHA ARLINGTON BLUFFTON BURR OAK CALMAR*CASTALIA*CLAYTON*CLAYTON CENTER*CLERMONT*COMMUNIADECORAHDORCHESTEREITZENELDORADO

*ELGIN*ELKADER*ELKPORT*FARMERSBURG*FESTINA*FORT ATKINSON*FRANKVILLEFREEPORT

*FROELICH*GARBER*GARNAVILLO*GIARD*GUNDER*GUTTENBERG*HARPERS FERRY*HAWKEYEHESPER

*HIGHLANDVILLELANSING

*LITTLEPORT*LUANA*MARQUETTE*McGREGOR*MEDERVILLE*MILLVILLE*MONONANEW ALBINNORDNESS

*OSBORNE*OSSIAN*OSTERDOCK*POSTVILLEPRAIRIE DU CHIENRANDALIARIDGEWAY

*ROSSVILLEST. LUCAS

*ST. OLAFSPILLVILLESTRAWBERRY POINTSUMNER

*TURKEY RIVERVOLGA

*VOLNEYWADENA

*WATERVILLE*WATSONWAUCOMAWAUKON

*WAUKON JUNCTIONWESTGATEWEST UNION

AREA CODES: 319, 507, 563, & 608

FIND THIS DIRECTORY ONLINE AT: www.neiowasearch.com

923 Humphrey St. PO Box 1008Elkader, Iowa 52043

563-245-4000 www.alpinecom.net

Northeast IowaREGIONAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY

May 2016-2017

Photo by Dustin Kilburg, McGregorEffigy Mounds Park Bridge

How to Improve the Speed of Your Wi-Fi NetworkIf your Wi-Fi router is out of date or not set up correctly, it could be slowing down your Internet speed. Here are some tips to help you maximize router performance:

Buy a new router that supports 802.11ac. One of the best ways to make sure your network is as fast and reliable as possible is to use up-to-date hardware that supports the latest standards. With all the devices in your home, it’s more important than ever to have a wireless router that can handle the increased demand for Wi-Fi connectivity.

Move your router to its ideal position. For the best signal and coverage, put your router in an open space near the center of your home. Keep it away from thick walls made of brick or concrete, and make sure it’s not around metal items which can reflect Wi-Fi signals.

Make sure your router is secured using WPA2 with AES. The latest two standards, 802.11n and 802.11ac, don’t operate at the highest possible rates when either the client or router use WPA or TKIP. Putting a password on your router or limiting which devices can access your network will keep other people in the neighborhood from using your network and slowing it down.

Reduce interference by removing or minimizing the use of interfering devices. These include baby monitors, older cordless phones, microwave ovens, wireless speakers, and some security cameras.

Make sure your router is configured to automatically identify and use the least congested frequency. Or you can manually choose the best non-overlapping channel. Slow Wi-Fi speeds may be the result of interference from your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks as all the devices compete to use the same channel. For example, if neighbors are downloading a Netflix movie using the same Wi-Fi channel as your home’s Wi-Fi router, your router and devices may only get thin slices of “air time” to talk. (426-5653)

Stop by Alpine Communications or call 563-245-4000 for help selecting a new router. We stock and install a variety of routers designed to meet a customer’s individual needs.

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING:

CONNECT WITH US: 923 Humphrey St.

PO Box 1008Elkader, Iowa 52043

Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday(563) 245-4000

or 1-800-635-1059 www.alpinecom.net

Internet Tech Support: 1-888-264-2908

SecureIT Tech Support: 1-877-373-3320

Get Tips On Watching The Rio 2016 Olympic Games Gymnastics are just one of the more than 40 summer sports taking place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, held August 5-21. To get acquainted with Team USA, including their Tweets of the Week, visit www.teamusa.org.

Your FusionTV package will help bring all the action in Rio to your home. For advice on how to watch the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, check out www.nbcolympics.com. You’ll find TV listings as well as the live streaming schedule.