December 2013 • Volume 19, Issue 4A quarterly newsletter from your friends at KMTelecom

Where technology comes with a human touch

KMTelecom18 Second Avenue NWKasson, MN 55944-1491634-2511 Local call for KMTelecom customers in Kasson, Mantorville, Rock Dell and Dodge Center

Office HoursMonday-Friday 8:00am to 5:00pmFor help with service problems during non-business hours, please call 634-2505.

24/7 Internet Help DeskKasson, Mantorville Area 634-2575Rock Dell Area 634-2575 (FREE call)Dodge Center Area 633-2575

Exede & WildBlueSales/Inquiries 866-677-8677 or 507-634-5692 Technical Support 888-232-3796

Visit Us Onlinewww.kmtel.com

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Business Office ClosedTuesday, December 24th closing at 3:00pm for Christmas Eve

Wednesday, December 25th closed for Christmas Day

Wednesday, January 1st closed for New Year’s Day

In case of a service emergency, you can always reach us at 507-634-2505.

We Hope Your Holidays Are Bright & BeautifulPlease join us for our Holiday Cheer the first three Tuesdays in December. Refreshments will be served. All of us at KMTelecom wish you and your family a holiday season filled with joy. It’s been a privilege to provide you communications services and we look forward to serving you in 2014.

Internet Speedsup to 300 Mbpswith KMTelecom leaves the competitionin the dust.

KMTelecom’s high speed Internet is the fastest around with speeds up to 300 Mbps! That’s upload AND download speeds. Sign up today for over $275 worth of free products and services:

• FREE Roku player to stream up to 1,000 popular channels to virtually any TV ($49.99 Value)

• FREE Internet Security Suite for one year which includes SecureIT, FileHopper 5GB, and Password Genie ($95.88 Value)

• FREE High Speed Internet (HSI) Install ($90 Value)

• FREE 1st Month of HSI Service (Value of Plan)

Race to the phone and call 634-2511. *Offer good through December 31, 2013 or while supplies last for customers setting up new High Speed Internet service with a phone line through KMTelecom. HSI speeds are dependent on location. 24-month agreement is required. If service is cancelled before the 24 months, there is a $200 early termination fee. Roku player is provid-ed to customer with manufacturer warranty, not warranted by KMTelecom. Roku and other online video services require a user account and credit card to access service. Some video services are free, premium video service are fee-based. Roku player connects to TV via HDMI or composite A/V cable and to Internet through wireless access (Wi-Fi router) for operation.

Sign up fast for the area’s fastest Internet and get a FREE Roku player plus other freebies

Santa has embraced modern communications services and you can stay in touch with him online. If there are kids in your household, keep this list of fun

websites handy for use during the holiday season. They’re sure to add a little extra excitement to the pre-Christmas countdown.

CHECK IF YOU’RE ON THE NAUGHTY OR NICE LIST www.santaswebsite.com

HAVE SANTA CALL YOUR CHILD FOR FREE http://acallfromsanta.packagefromsanta.com

FOLLOW SANTA ON GOOGLE MAPS www.google.com/santatracker

WATCH NORAD TRACK SANTA www.noradsanta.org

By the way, faster Internet service will make all your online activities more enjoyable and will go great with that new laptop or tablet you’re hoping Santa brings. To upgrade your Internet plan now, call us at 634-2511.

Where technology comes with a human touch

Roku Plus Our Internet Service Adds Up to Amazing TV EntertainmentThis is an exciting time in the world of entertainment. You have so many more options on how to access TV programs, movies, and music to enjoy at home. No longer are you restricted to the choice of either a cable TV subscription or a satellite dish as you have been in years passed.

For example, with a Roku streaming player and KMTelecom Internet service, you have the opportunity to enjoy a vast array of streaming entertainment on your TV. More than 1,000 channels are available for viewing through Roku including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, HBO Go, Pandora, and Disney. Roku also offers easy searches through channels and titles with its quick interface.

Think Roku might be for you? You’ll need Internet download speeds of at least 2 Mbps to fully enjoy this TV option. Call KMTelecom at 634-2511 for more details on our high speed Internet plans.

Earn Some Extra Spending Money for the HolidaysFriends and family living in the country have a great high speed Internet solution avail-able. Exede Internet offers up to 12 Mbps download and up to 3 Mbps upload. Exede’s innovative Web acceleration technology makes your Web browsing faster. KMTelecom offers this high speed Internet solution to families and businesses within a 60-mile radius of Kasson but outside of the 634, 635, 365, and 633 telephone exchanges.

Do you have friends and family that could benefit from a high speed Internet option? Tell them about Exede Internet from KMTelecom. If they mention your name, you will receive a $25 credit on your bill when they activate service. Who couldn’t use an extra $25 right now? Go ahead, tell your friends and family to call KMTelecom at 866-677-8677!

Make Connections Santa Style

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Win a $25Credit on YourKMTelecom Bill

Fill out this form, clip it, and return it with your next bill for a chance to win a $25 credit to your account. Return it by December 31, 2013, to be eligible. One winner per newsletter will be selected.

Name: ________________________

Phone #: ______________________

Congratulations to our September 2013 winner, Arlin Brigham of Kasson!

$25

Stressed Out by Computer Worries? Try These Solutions

This is a fully automated and guaranteed computer protection service designed for a home or small business. No more wast-ing time trying to pick the right products, install them yourself, keep them updated, and stay informed on Internet threats. With SecureIT Plus, you never have to think about Internet security again.

• Guaranteed protection

• Optional assisted installation

• Antivirus protection and removal of spyware and adware

• Firewall protection

• Technical support by phone

Just $7.99/monthSecureIT is similar with fewer benefits: antivirus, anti-spyware, hands-free security updates, and personal firewall for only $2.99/month.

When it comes to computer files, you have a lot to lose. Should your hard drive fail or your computer be damaged, years’ worth of files could be gone in seconds. Make sure they’ll always be there by getting FileHopper Plus.

• Easy online backup of your photos, music, documents, and more

• Safe and secure encryption

• Automatic and reliable — set it and forget it

• Fast, efficient backups

• Install on any number of Windows or Mac computers

5GB Storage: $2.99/month 50GB Storage: $6.99/month 250GB Storage: $14.99/month

If you have sticky notes all over the house with usernames and passwords, it’s time for a more organized and reliable system. It’s time for Password Genie.

• Saves time by automatically remem-bering your usernames and passwords

• Enhances security by eliminating written down or unprotected storage of your online identities

• Reduces frustration since you’ll never have to use the “Forgot Password” option and deal with the hassle associ-ated with creating a new password

Just $2.99 per month

Are You Having Trouble Using the Phone?Minnesota Relay is a free service that uses a specially-trained Communications Assistant (CA) to facilitate the telephone conversation between a person who has a hearing loss or speech disability and the person with which they wish to speak.

Calls can be made to anywhere in the world (long distance charges apply), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All calls are completely confidential.

To make a Minnesota Relay call, dial 7-1-1 from your landline phone.

There are plenty of computer problems out there for you to lose sleep over — from computer viruses and spyware to hard drive crashes and forgotten

passwords. You probably hear people talk about computer nightmares all the time. Fortunately, KMTelecom now offers these easy and affordable solutions:

Bundle these services together and save!

Silver $7.99

Gold $13.99

Platinum $20.99

SecureIT X

SecureIT Plus X X

5GB FileHopper Plus

X

50GB FileHopper Plus

X

250GB FileHopper Plus

X

Password Genie X X X

For more information on how KMTelecom can help keep your computer safer, visit www.kmtel.com.

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Where technology comes with a human touch

Older Routers May Not Be Up To SpeedNothing lasts forever, including that router you have under your desk. Routers have a lifespan — typically 3-6 years — and become outdated as tech-nology advances. For example, some older routers have a speed cap limiting the maximum Internet speed possible.

If your Internet connection from KMTelecom doesn’t seem as fast as you expected, the router you pur-chased several years ago could be to blame. You can find out if this is the case by follow these steps:

1. Go to www.kmtel.com and scroll down to “Useful Links.” Click on “Speed Test,” then click on “Begin Test.” In seconds, your download and upload speeds will be displayed.

2. Next, unplug the Broadband Internet cable from the back of your router and plug it directly into a laptop or desktop PC.

3. Run the speed test again to see what your speeds are without the router. (Be sure to plug the Broadband Internet cable back into the router after testing to continue using your wireless devices.)

Did your second speed test without the router result in higher speeds? If so, it’s time for a new router! Stop by the KMTelecom office to pick one up for as little as $60.95.

What’s All the Fuss Over Fiber?

Fiber to the Home (FTTH) is the only technology that delivers enough bandwidth — reliably and at a low enough cost — to meet the ever-increasing demand for

more robust Internet, video, and voice service as well as other online applications. Compared to copper wire or coaxial cable, FTTH also has a much longer lifespan and the capability of being 1,000 times faster than DSL and cable modems.

Current fiber-optic technology can provide two-way transmission speeds of up to 100 megabits per second. What’s more, ongoing improvements in fiber-optic equipment are constantly increasing available bandwidth without having to change the fiber. That’s why fiber networks are said to be “future proof.”

According to the Fiber to the Home Council, fiber networks are available to more than 15 percent of homes, and more than 9 million households across North America are now connected directly into these high-speed, high-bandwidth networks. Thousands more connections are being made every day.

Why do we need all this bandwidth? Here are a few reasons:

• More companies are offering feature-length movies for download and one high-definition movie takes up as much bandwidth as 35,000 webpages.

• Televisions and home appliances are now being connected to the Internet.

• Families and companies are increasingly using “software as service” – meaning they subscribe to “cloud computing” applications rather than install them on their own computers.

• There are currently 200 tele-medicine networks in the U.S. connecting 2,000 institutions.

• Services such as distance learning and remote energy management are expected to grow considerably over the next several years.

These applications, plus the many other ones not even invented yet, are going to require much greater bandwidth than what is generally available today. Bandwidth demand is growing at an enormously high rate, and is projected to grow for years to come. In a recent report released by the Discovery Institute, U.S. Internet traffic is projected to grow 50 fold by 2015.

With fiber networks, users gain access to bandwidth of increased quality, quantity, and capacity. Clearly, fiber is worth making a fuss over!

In 2008, KMTelecom initially invested in Fiber to the Home (FTTH) technology and started the fiber build out to replace aging copper wire. Today, we continue to improve populated areas with FTTH. At KMTelecom, we are committed to deliv-ering optimal service to our customers. Internet speeds up to 300 Mbps, high definition TV, whole-home DVR and so much more! Enjoy all that KMTelecom has to offer!