June 2017

ContactPTCIPO Box 1188, Guymon, OK 73942 580-338-2556

Visit PTCI Online at www.ptci.net

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PTCI’s Board of Trustees Elects OfficersThe PTCI Board of Trustees recently held its annual election of officers. Lonnie Bailey was appointed to serve as President, Rowdy McBee was appointed to serve as Vice President, and Scott Martin was appointed to serve as Secretary/Treasurer.

“The leadership provided by our board allows PTCI to stay progressive and always forward-moving,” said Shawn Hanson, CEO of PTCI.

To see a directory of PTCI's Board of Trustees, visit http://www.ptci.net/about/trustees/.

PTCI NAMED CERTIFIED GIG-CAPABLE PROVIDER PTCI was recently recognized by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, as a Certified Gig-Capable Provider for delivering gigabit broadband speeds and enabling technologicalinnovation in the Forgan, Beaver, and Guymon, Oklahoma communities. PTCI is the first and only Certified Gig-Capable Provider in the state of Oklahoma. NTCA is the premier association representing nearly 900 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America.

With this distinction, PTCI joins a national campaign to build awareness and industry recognition of providers that have built communications networks capable of delivering internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second, which is 100 times faster than those cur-rently available in many U.S. households. PTCI will be recognized in NTCA media, on the NTCA website, and during association conferences and events.

“I applaud PTCI for its commitment to delivering the internet’s fastest speeds — an accom-plishment worthy of much praise considering the unique and challenging circumstances small, community-based telecommunications providers operate under every day in serv-ing some of our country’s most rural and remote communities,” said Shirley Bloomfield, NTCA Chief Executive Officer “By building a gigabit-capable network, PTCI has not only overcome these challenges, but also shattered conventional benchmarks for broadband speed to enable cutting-edge technologies that drive innovation and promote economic development in their communities, region and nationwide.”

To achieve certification, telecommunications compa-nies must show that gigabit technology is currently commercially available within 95% of one or more exchanges within its serving territory and that such service can be provided without new trenching or stringing new aerial facilities.

More information about the NTCA Gig-Capable Provider certification program is available at www.ntca.org/gigcertified.

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COMMUNICATIONS REMAIN PRIORITY DURING SPRING BLIZZARDApril showers might bring May flowers, but this April storm brought destruction, leaving a majority of the Panhandle without power and subject to closures of all major highways.

The 7th Cooperative Principle is Concern for Community, and PTCI takes this concern genuinely. Our crews immediately launchedefforts to maintain communications in the area — critical for emergency services and our fellow cooperative, Tri-County Electric Coop-erative (TCEC) — as emergency sheltering and power-restoration efforts began.

At the height of the storm’s devastation, PTCI ran 38 generators and had 25 locations on batteries in order to keep communications functioning properly. Keeping the generators fueled meant daily trips to check and refuel each site in the less-than-ideal road conditions.

Following the 6th Cooperative Principle, Cooperation Among Cooperatives, PTCI assisted TCEC where possible, helping in one instance to restore power to the Prairie School area in Guymon.

PTCI understands the importance of communications in today’s world, especially during a disaster. Providing high quality communications, even throughout difficult circum-stances, remains part of our mission and a daily priority.

PTCI • 580-338-2556 • www.ptci .net

New Business ListingsGuymonMajestic Vapor 580-338-1001The Trailer Park 580-468-3663

PTCI Connections BlogPTCI invites you to get the latest scoop on our company, products, and services on our official blog. This blog is intended to answer common ques-tions our customers have about their PTCI services or products and also shed light on some cool stuff you can do with these services that you might not know about.

PTCI’s blog is user friendly. All you have to do is go to www.ptci.net and click on the Blog link at the top of the page. Check it out today.

DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations for young people and social change. Its 3.1 million members tackle campaigns that impact many different causes ranging from reducing poverty and violence to safeguarding the environment. As a communi-cations provider, one particular DoSomething.org program caught our attention— it’s called Grandparents Gone Wired.

Approximately 40 percent of seniors don’t use the internet, which can leave them feeling isolated from loved ones. Grandparents Gone Wired encourages young people to teach an older adult the basics of technology and help them be comfortable with activities including social media, video chat, and email.

We think it’s a great idea, whether done through this program or on an informal basis within your family. Internet usage can enhance daily life for older adults by helping them stay in touch with children and grandchildren, see current photos, research health topics, explore travel options, and more.

To ask about internet plans ideal for newbies, call PTCI at 580-338-2556

GRANDPARENTS GONE WIRED

Before You Dig, Call 811All sorts of utility lines, pipes, and cables could be buried on your property and easily damaged by even shallow digging. This can result in service inter-ruptions to your entire neighborhood.

Before you dig, call 811 to have utility lines marked. Simply tell the opera-tor where you’re planning to dig and what type of work you’ll be doing. The affected local utilities will send a locator to your property, free of charge. Then you’ll know what’s below and be able to dig safely.

We're Kind of a Gig DealTo be qualified for a drawing for a $20 credit toward your PTCI services, mail your completed puzzle to: PTCI, Attn: Puzzle, PO Box 1188, Guymon, OK 73942, or drop it into the envelope with your monthly payment.

PTCI SUPPORTS DOC GARDNER RODEO AND PIONEER DAYS

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PTCI took part in the Pioneer Days parade as well. Above Norma Green, Toni Mathis, Shauna Amezcua and Mady Fernandez interact with the crowd along the parade route. PTCI is also a major sponsor of both the Doc Gardner Rodeo and the Pioneer Days Rodeo.

The Oklahoma Telephone Association Foundation Board of Trustees met on Wednesday, April 26, and awarded scholarships to Jessie Rocha-Groves (daughter of PTCI employee Dennis Groves), Jamie Lear (daughter of PTCI employee Jim Lear), and Kaitlynn Maddox (daughter of PTCI employee Britch Maddox).

ACHIEVEMENTS FOR DAUGHTERS OF OUR EMPLOYEES

ADVANCED

COMMUNICATIONS

CONNECTIONS

DEVELOPMENT

FIBEROPTIC

GIGABIT

HIGH SPEED

INNOVATIVE

INTERNET

NETWORK

OPPORTUNITY

PREMIER

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TECHNOLOGY

Name: ___________________________

Phone: __________________________

Mary C Brown of Turpin was the lucky winner of our May puzzle drawing. She received a $20 credit on her phone bill. Congratulations, Mary!

Y S C E T O G H T R B N O V N P I R E E W O N I E P G G N I G I N S M O A I R M C T E S P R B N E E V A C E O T I N T R V C T R L U T O N P L I I G E N K V I C W N O O V I I A I O I U N R E T E T I B R M S P D Y P I Z N W M H K N O W V F F R O Y O R L K E Q P Z C S E J J Y T E E H A B K R O W T E N M I A D V A N C E D F D E E P S H G I H T E C H N O L O G Y R S U T O J W S H O P X W W U H G I W S

PTCI’s Earl Helm presents the saddle for top all-around rodeo athlete to Josh Frost at the Hitch Rodeo Arena.

OPSU STUDENT FINDS SUCCESS IN UNEXPECTED PLACESAt first glance, Linden Robertson seems to be the quintessential college athlete. A fun-lov-ing senior at OPSU, the linebacker for the Aggies laughs and tells stories from the football season, even chuckling about the unorthodox Batman costume worn by Coach Gascamp during a game on Halloween.

After sitting with Robertson, you realize his innate drive. His family relocated to Arlington, Texas, from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It was in Texas his football talent flourished; he was soon recruited to play college ball in Goodwell, Okla-homa. The Panhandle’s laidback way of life came as a bit of a shock, but Robertson shone. He now serves as Vice President of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL), OPSU’s business club. PBL recently won the Most Outstanding Chapter Award, and Robertson’s group placed first in Business Ethics, securing a place at the national competition.

Robertson, who is an Industrial Technology major, recently partnered with PTCI through OPSU to create a press box at Aggie Stadium. “As I grew in my ability to weld, and in work-ing with PTCI, I learned I was very good at welding.” Robertson stressed, “Welding helped me work on taking my time and getting things done right.” The achievement of this project enables PTCI to film OPSU baseball in a safe environment.

Always determined to achieve greatness, Robertson will return in the fall for one more season of football, and will graduate from OPSU in December 2017 with plans of a career in wind energy.

For footage of the full interview, watch PTCI Channel 2. To learn more about programs offered by OPSU, visit opsu.edu.

PTCI • 580-338-2556 • www.ptci .net

How to Spot Phishing Scams and Protect YourselfDeceptive PhishingThese email messages, claiming to come from a recognized source, will often ask you to verify your account, re-enter information, or make a payment.

How to avoid it: Look for generic greetings or requests for information the sender should already have. Also hover over the link with your mouse to see if the URL is legitimate (contains no misspellings or small alterations from an actual website).

Spear Phishing This is a more individualized form of phishing. The sender uses information about you to direct their request at you.

How to avoid it: Look for typos and alarming threats or ultimatums.

CEO FraudPhishers use an email address similar to that of an authority figure to request payment or data from others within the company.

How to avoid it: Call the person the sender is impersonating to confirm the request is false.

Cyber threats are real, but we can help. To learn more about PTCI’s business and residential cyberse-curity services, call 580-338-2556.

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PTCI • 580-338-2556 • w w w.ptci .net

PO Box 1188Guymon, OK 73942

Local Postal Customer

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GET eBILLING TOSTAMP OUT MAILING COSTS If you’re still mailing checks to pay your monthly bills, think about this: Let’s say you pay 10 bills per month at a cost of 49 cents per stamp. That adds up to nearly $5.00 per month and $60 per year for the stamps alone, not to mention the cost of buying the checks. Wouldn’t you rather use that money for something else? You can if you switch to paying your bills online.

PTCI offers free eBilling that lets you receive your monthly bills from us by email and pay them online with your credit card or debit card,

or sign up to pay automatically with your checking account through Convenient Automatic Transfer (CAT). It’s a small change that adds up to big savings on stamps and checks. Plus, eBilling will save you time on bill paying. Just a few clicks and you’re done!

It’s quick and easy to get started with eBilling. Simply visit ptci.net today, click “Pay My Bill”, and follow the step-by-step instructions to set up your eBilling account. Questions? Call us at 580-338-2556.