Newsletter Winter 2014 CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITIES MESSAGE from our CEO Greetings again and thanks for reading our newsletter! For this issue, I would like to talk about upgrading your Internet service to higher speeds. If you are not an Internet user, you may wish to be after reading this article. After using the Internet for a while, most Internet users feel about their bandwidth like I do about bacon or ice cream you can never have too much! Seasoned users have learned that the more bandwidth they have, the smoother the picture is on their screen and the better the music sounds. OK, so how much bandwidth do you really need? The simple answer is as much as you can afford, but a better answer is it depends on what you want to do. The chart at the end of my article gives a general idea but needs some explanation. For example, downloading a Mp3 file for a 4 minute song takes between 11-22 seconds on our lower speed DSL speeds of 1.5 and 3 Mbps service. Take the jump to our 50 Mbps fiber Internet service, and the download is almost instantaneous. If you were downloading an album with 10 songs, the download would take 4-5 seconds total versus a 3-4 minutes on the lower DSL speeds. Comparable comparisons can be Continued on next page VTCI Contributes to NEW SCOREBOARD IN DILLEY Arline Harris Board of Director and San Jui Cantu Customer Service Consultant Represent VTCI. Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc., VTX Communications, LLC, VTX Telecom, LLC
Continued from cover made with the next two items High Resolution Digital Photos (of your grandkids of course) or a Powerpoint presentation on a topic that may be a hobby for you. The faster you get your music, photos, and presentations, the faster you can start enjoying them. In a few minutes you want to send one of these things to a friend, now you won t have to wait as long while your email leaves your outbox. So, if you re not convinced that saving a few seconds on photos and tunes is worth upgrading your Internet, let s turn to video. Most half hour shows have about 20 minutes of content when the commercials are removed, and the network web sites are a great place to watch them. You can watch TV shows you missed, and you can start watching the shows as they are downloading or streaming. Note the time saved if you actually download a half hour TV show 10 minutes down to 19 seconds. If you want to download a full length (1½ hours) High Definition movie, the improvement is from 5.5 hours down to 11 minutes. If you re backing up your computer hard drive, the improvement is from 89 hours down to 2.75 hours. That means you could back up your hard drive weekly instead of monthly or quarterly. About now the non-computer users say who cares? I don t use a computer. You still watch television. On current television sets, more and more have Internet connections with software that lets viewers navigate the web and watch videos just using their TV remote. These televisions are very easy to operate and come in all sizes and prices ranges. DVD players today also come with Internet connections and are in the $80-90 range for Internet capability and High Definition performance. So you don t have to be a computer user to gain great benefit from Internet service. Did you know? And remember our technicians can help you get started when your service is installed or upgraded. If you would like more information on adding or upgrading your Internet service, just call our Business Office at 800-446-2031 for assistance. Contact Us Raymondville Corporate Office 881 E. Hidalgo Avenue Raymondville, TX 78580 Dilley Office 1489 W. FM 117 Dilley, TX 78017 Jourdanton Office 511 Main Street Jourdanton, TX 78026 George West Office 510 Bowie Street George West, TX 78022 Sales & Customer Service Monday-Friday 8 am 5 pm Technical Support Monday-Friday 8 am 9 pm Saturday & Sunday 10 am 7 pm VTXC Technical Support 24/7 1.800.446.2031 www.vtx1.net This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), found online at http://www.ascr.usda. gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda. gov. Download Times File Type File Size 1.5 Mbps 3 Mbps 10 Mbps 20 Mbps 50 Mbps 100 Mbps MP3 File (4-minute song) 4 MB 22 sec. 11 sec. 3 sec. 1 sec. <1 sec. <1 sec. Hi-Res Digital Photo 7 MB 37 sec. 19 sec. 5 sec. 2 sec. 1 sec. <1 sec. PowerPoint Presentation 10 MB 53 sec. 26 sec. 8 sec. 4 sec. 1 sec. <1 sec. 20-minute TV Show 120 MB 10 min. 5 min. 1.5 min. 48 sec. 19 sec. 9 sec. Full-length Movie 4 GB 6 hrs. 3 hrs. 55 min. 27 min. 11 min. 5.5 min. Computer hard drive 60 GB 89 hrs. 44 hrs. 13.5 hrs. 7 hrs. 2.75 hrs. 1.5 hrs. 1114XNL Upgrade Now! 2
VTX1 Displays at COMPTEL PLUS FALL 2014 EXPO & CONVENTION GRAPEVINE, TX L-R: Jennifer Hull - Marketing Communication Manager Toni Rivas - Senior Manager Sales and Marketing Mirta Flores - Senior Account Manager Chris Soto - Senior Customer Service Manager VTX1 Recognizes EMPLOYEES Albert Villarreal - Network Manager / Field Operations receives Customer Red Ribbon Award VTX1 Introduces Affordable TV ADVERTISING Thank you for your many years of service! I am pleased with the success of advertising my commercial with VTX1. It is an affordable way to reach potential customers locally on all the popular networks. We have seen an increase in foot traffic and business. I attribute this television advertising success story to Pam Leverett, Product Marketing Specialist who sold me the air time. Homer Rodriguez, Owner - Rodriguez Ford. 5 Years Julio Garza Mindy Oster Manuel (Harvey) Salgado Luis (Mark) Castillo Roland Elizondo Raul Reyes, Jr. Xuan (Sue) Nguyen 10 Years Andres (Andy) Garza 15 Years Mario Alcoser Belia Muñoz Maribell Ramirez Javier Villegas Chris Soto 35 Years Ernesto Gonzales 20 Years Lee Roy Gonzales 25 Years Paula Rebeles-Smith 30 Years Steve Shed Homer Rodriguez-Rodriguez Ford Owner, Pam Leverett - VTX1 Product Marketing Specialist 3
CONNECTING in our COMMUNITIES October 2014 South Texas Literacy Coalition 6th Annual Historias De La Vida Gala McAllen Raymondville s Groundbreaking of New Police Station Raymondville National Night Out Lyford Wild in Willacy Raymondville Amigo Implement Ribbon Cutting - Edinburg The Black Cat Ball Edinburg Children s Hospital Foundation 4 Taking Care of Texas 1st Annual Ranch Gala - H. Yturria Ranch Raymondville
Willacy County Dinner Dance Raymondville Jourdanton Rotary Golf Tournament Jourdanton Photo: Ata-Girl Photography Co., LLC http://atagirlphoto.com/ VTX1 represents Super Fast Broadband speeds by dressing up as Apps for Halloween. Raymondville GW Storyfest George West TSTCI Conference San Antonio TSTCI Golf Tournament San Antonio 5
VTX1 DONATES Computer Equipment to SOUTHERN BROOKS COUNTY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Save the Mobile Site on your Smart Device It s Simple, Quick and Easy! VTX1 OBSERVES National Breast Cancer AWARENESS MONTH http://mobile.dudamobile.com/site/vtx1 Lasara Plant Service / Warehouse L-R Lisa Garza, Elissa M. Saldana, Angelica Guerrero, Rachel Rodriguez, Dora E. Vargas Our Mission The mission of the VTX1 Family of Companies is to provide members and customers with state-of-the-art telecommunications services at the lowest possible cost. The company will strive to achieve this mission by deployment of appropriate technologies and by empowering employees to deliver customer satisfaction. 6
STEVE SHED What is your title and how long have you been with VTX1? OSP Central Supervisor 30 years. What song best describes your work ethic? Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot. What is your most memorable VTX1 experience? Living it now finishing up on Operational Wild Horse it s been a great experience with a great group of people. If you were 80 years old, what would you tell your children? Get a job you enjoy and don t mind going to every day, be on time, do the best you can do, and always be honest. What is one interesting fact that no one knows about you? Yard work is my stress reliever. ERNESTO GONZALEZ What is your title and how long have you been with VTX1? I have been a Mechanic for 35 years. What song best describes your work ethic? One Day at a Time by Merle Haggard. What is your most memorable VTX1 experience? I will always remember my trip to Oklahoma for a Ditch Witch seminar. If you were 80 years old, what would you tell your children? Trust in Jesus, put family first, and find joy every day. What is one interesting fact that no one knows about you? Too personal to answer. PAULA SMITH What is your title and how long have you been with VTX1? I currently hold the Billing & Business Compliance Senior Manager position 25 years. What song best describes your work ethic? I m Alright by Christian Keyes. What is your most memorable VTX1 experience? Every day is memorable. If you were 80 years old, what would you tell your children? Never forget that you are standing on the shoulders of the ones that came before you. What is one interesting fact that no one knows about you? I own Eminem s entire CD collection. CONNECT with our TEAM 7
Whole Home DVR WATCH recorded TV shows on ANY TV in your home. Record live TV in your living room and view a recorded show in another room. $5/ month for the WHDVR service $10/ month for the DVR set top box Restrictions may apply. Eligibility is based on service address. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 1.800.446.2031 www.vtx1.net Presort Standard U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 333 McAllen, TX Valley Telephone Cooperative, Inc. VTX Communications, LLC VTX Telecom, LLC 881 E. Hidalgo Avenue Raymondville, Texas 78580 Online Protect SECURE YOUR PC! Buy the bundle for only $5 a month!