InsideLine. So What s This About Roku? 4th Quarter 2011

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1 InsideLine 4th Quarter 2011 Committed To Meeting Our Members Needs So What s This About Roku? Roku was originally introduced as a Netflix player, affording Netflix subscribers the ability to watch their favorite Internet streaming movies on their TV s instead of on their computers. Since then, Roku has grown into a robust entertainment option and even a possible replacement for cable or satellite services. Live broadcast television is currently limited on Roku, but we expect that this will change over time. However, coupled with a digital antenna, (this writer uses the indoor variety) the Roku box can be a powerful and inexpensive entertainment solution. Entertainment content appears to be added on a regular basis, with HBO being the latest in big name companies that offer content on the Roku platform. Other top entertainment includes Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Crackle and, of course, Netflix. How does it work? The answer is relatively simply, and Roku has great instructional videos on their website, to help you set up and use your Roku box. You will also find Roku links and information on Peak Internet s website, In a nutshell, the Roku box connects wirelessly to your Pioneer broadband modem/router and to your TV via traditional RCA connections (Red, White, and Yellow) or a HDMI cable. If your modem/router is not of the wireless variety, you have a few options. You can upgrade your modem/router to a wireless unit. You can purchase a low cost, basic wireless router to connect to your existing modem/router thereby giving your broadband Internet connection wireless capability this would also afford other wireless connectivity in your home. Or you can choose the top-of-the-line Roku box which has wired Ethernet connectivity. As an aside note, Roku offers 4 different boxes to choose from ranging from $49.95 to $89.95, as of this writing. If your TV is of the vintage that it does not have either a RCA or HDMI connection, you will need to Watch entertainment get a RF convertor to act as a gobetween the Roku box and your TV. from companies such as, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Once you have your Roku box properly connected, you will need to Amazon Instant Video, all from a small little activate the Roku box. Instructions box will appear on your TV instructing you. These include logging onto your computer and going to Roku s website. Once your Roku box is operating properly, use your remote control to navigate to what Roku calls the Channel Store. You will see all the content suppliers and make selections on which channels you wish to watch. Bear in mind that some content channels are free and others have a small subscription fee. Once you have selected your channels, press the home icon on your remote control and you will see your chosen channels. Navigate to the channel of choice and begin watching. You will only need to navigate the channel store when you are adding or subtracting viewing channels - other than that your chosen channels will always be on your Roku homepage. To learn more about the Roku box and how you can get started streaming television and movies over your Pioneer broadband Internet connection, go to

2 2 College Scholarships Available Pioneer Telephone Cooperative is, once again, proud to contribute to and encourage individuals throughout our communities by funding a scholarship program. The Board of Directors has established a scholarship fund for individuals attending college during the academic year. The number of scholarships awarded and the amount of each scholarship award will be determined by the Board. In order to qualify, the applicant must be a member, or an immediate relative of someone who is a member, of Pioneer Telephone Cooperative. The immediate relative may be a spouse, son or daughter. The applicant s primary place of residence must be located within a territory served by Pioneer Telephone Cooperative. An applicant is eligible to receive Pioneer s scholarship a maximum number of two times. The applicant must meet the following qualifications: be currently enrolled at, or applying for admission to, an undergraduate program in an accredited community college, four-year college or university, or vocational technical school provide three letters of recommendation from individuals other than family members provide legible copies of all high school and college or technical school transcripts provide a copy of the applicant s latest SAT and/or ACT test scores Original copies of the scholarship application with the requested documents and a completed open book quiz (included with application) must be submitted on or before the deadline date of March 31, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. to the following address: Pioneer Telephone Cooperative Scholarship Committee 1304 Main St PO Box 631 Philomath, OR Application forms will be available in January at both the Philomath and Waldport business offices, local area high schools and online at Applications may also be obtained through the mail by calling Pioneer s Administration Department at Incomplete applications or those lacking the required documents will not be considered.

3 3 Get an Inside Tour of Washington D.C. How would you like to travel to Washington, D.C. this June to learn about the telecommunications industry and see our nation s government in action? If you are a high school junior who would like to spend four special days on an inside tour of Washington D.C., then you should know that Pioneer Telephone Cooperative will be sponsoring one student to represent us and our rural serving area at the 2012 Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour, June 2 - June 6, The Foundation s Youth Tour provides specially selected student representatives from rural areas a firsthand look at the booming telecommunications industry. It teaches students about government processes and gives them a memorable four days in our nation s capital, visiting famous historic sites and monuments. Some of these are: The Smithsonian Galleries and Museums, The National Cathedral, Capitol Hill, Arlington National Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, and more. On the tour, students will meet high school juniors from other rural communities across the USA and form special new friendships. Student participants will be chaperoned by the Foundation for Rural Service staff and volunteers from several member telephone companies. Pioneer Telephone Cooperative will pay for the student s airfare, hotel, meals, transportation, ticketed events and all gratuities. All high school juniors living within the Cooperative s serving area are eligible for selection for the Youth Tour by submitting an academic resumé to Pioneer. A committee will review the student resumés and will then select a final candidate. The student academic resumé must include the following information: grade-point average extracurricular activities interests honors and awards any work experience current plans for after high school why the applicant would like to make this trip To apply, high school juniors must be living within Pioneer Telephone Cooperative s serving area and submit an academic resumé, which must be received in Pioneer s office by March 5, Send to: Pioneer Telephone Youth Tour Committee 1304 Main St PO Box 631 Philomath, OR

4 4 In Your Mailbox Soon You can expect to receive the 2012 edition of Pioneer s telephone directory in January. And, as always, a lot of hard work has gone into making the directory a valuable tool for our members. The Pioneer Telephone Directory contains more than white and yellow page listings for our members and adjacent communities. There is a wealth of other useful information as well. Watch for it in your mailbox coming soon! Winter is Here With winter here, the possibility of power outages increases. Our local electric companies respond as quickly as they can. However, it may take them a while to restore your power. Since cordless phones, VOIP and Cable phone service may NOT work during a power outage, we suggest that you keep a traditional non-powered phone in the house for these kinds of emergencies. Please call us if you have any questions about your service. REMINDER In last month s billing statement, we informed you of a rate increase. Making the decision to raise rates is never easy, however, the troubled economy, coupled with changing regulatory reimbursement factors, has made this increase necessary. Effective January 1, 2012 there will be a slight increase ($1.50) to our local service rates.

5 5 In the Community It s true that our challenging economy has once again brought about an interest in shopping locally and supporting our friends and neighbors. At Pioneer, we like to think that we keep the local concept in mind at all times. Whether it be using a local business for service work or supporting our schools, Pioneer is committed to helping our neighbors. Did you know that Pioneer has a long tradition of being an active member in the communities we serve? We take pride in helping to sponsor some of the most anticipated community events of the year; events that both promote commerce and provide cultural value. The Philomath Frolic and Rodeo, Waldport s Beachcomber Days and various fireworks displays are just a few of the many activities Pioneer supports. Pioneer is also committed to education. We participate in Career Days, provide speakers and give phone company tours and our employees have even helped in classrooms. Each year Pioneer provides annual scholarship awards to high school seniors heading to college. We also send one high school junior from our serving area to Washington DC to represent our cooperative in the annual Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour. Our representative meets with other student representatives from around the nation to learn firsthand about our government and the processes involving telecommunications legislation. When communities need help, we work hard to provide communication solutions. We answered the call when the cities we serve needed to augment their emergency services, and Pioneer donated and installed two hardwired telephones at the fire stations to provide an immediate connection to the 911 operators at the Lincoln County Communications Agency (LINCOM) in Newport. We also have built a state-of-the-art communications network which affords everyone in our serving area broadband Internet access. Our commitment goes beyond large community events and scholarships however. We support area youth activity clubs, school teams, yearbooks, calendars and more. Pioneer is a prominent sponsor to our area s Food Share programs, which help those in need. It is also not uncommon to see our employees taking an active role in our community events. One of the events we look forward to each year is our Kid Care Days where we bring child safety awareness to the forefront. Our staff helps parents by providing a safety kit that contains pertinent information about their child should they become lost or abducted. Whether we are buying locally, helping out in a classroom, marching in a parade, or participating in area Safety Days, our employees are glad to be making a difference in the communities where we live, for our neighbors for our members!