Need a Number? Count on the Quincy Area Wide™
Over 68,000 copies of the new April 2013 Quincy Area Wide™ Directory have been distributed in our area. Maybe you need another copy of the area's most comprehensive for your home, or one to keep in your car....just stop by one of our convenient locations and pick up an extra copy. Free books are available while they last.
Our larger, easy-to-read listings make our book easy on the eyes. Need a zip code? A Quincy or Hannibal map? Adams product information? It's all in the Directory! And our online edition keeps all the information you need just a click away!
With 400 pages of information and hundreds of listings, you can count on the April 2013 Quincy Area Wide™ Directory as a helpful resource at home, at work, or on the go.
Four Local Students Will Tour Washington, D.C.
Four area high school sophomores or juniors will win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., June 14-21, 2013, in an annual contest sponsored by Adams Telephone Co-Operative and Adams Electric Cooperative.Interested students from local schools completed a short answer application. A total of 21 students will be attending Illinois Electric and Telephone Youth Day in Springfield on April 17. Nine students will represent Adams Telephone Co-Operative and twelve students will represent Adams Electric Cooperative during a visit to the state capitol, the old capitol building and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.
At the conclusion of Youth Day, judges from the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives will interview the applicants. Two winners will be selected for each cooperative for an 8-day all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. in June. One alternate will be named for each cooperative in case one of the winners is unable to attend.
The four winners of Youth Day will spend one week in Washington, D.C., visiting places of historical interest, meeting members of Congress, and getting a firsthand look at our government in action. Students will also learn about the important role cooperatives play in our nation.
Local students participating in the “Illinois Electric & Telephone Cooperative Youth Day” in Springfield are: Eann Diller, Mattie Henderson, and Anthony Holtschlag of Central High School, Chance Vose of Griggsville/Perry High School, Briana Essington of Liberty High School, Stephanie Nelson, and Hannah Steele of Payson Seymour High School, William Slater Cornwell, Jayley Janssen, Blake Johnson, and Lucas Watson of Quincy Notre Dame High School, Terra Scranton of Quincy Senior High School, Riley Plumer and Eduardo Zabala of Rushville-Industry High School, Shyann Carnes, Caroline Cramsey, Megan Dobbins, and Kody Eilers of Southeastern High School, Kayla Gronewold and Alexis Wilson of Unity High School and Ashley Barlow of Warsaw High School. (No applications were received from Brown County, Meredosia/Chambersburg, or Quincy Christian Schools.)
This year marks the 54th year of the Youth to Washington program. Adams Electric Cooperative has been sending students to Washington, D.C. since 1959. Adams Telephone joined the program in 2004. Today, approximately 2,000 students from 42 cooperatives across the United States meet at our nation’s capital each summer.
For more information about Youth Tour, contact Adams Telephone Co-Operative at (877) 696-4611.
April is Safe Digging Month
Now that the snow has finally melted and spring is upon us, this is
the time of year when many homeowners begin to plan their next
do-it-yourself projects around their houses and yards. For many of us, these projects will involve digging, and this is why the month of April is known as National Safe Digging Month.
Digging safely means calling J.U.L.I.E. every time you dig - whether
the work is a professionally contracted home improvement job or a
do-it-yourself weekend project. Practicing safe digging is not just part
of being a responsible homeowner, but also part of being a responsible member of your community.
J.U.L.I.E. can be reached by dialing either the national "Call Before
you Dig" number or 8-1-1 or 1-800-892-0123. For more information,
Dates to Remember
The Adams Business Office will be closed on Monday, May 27 in honor of Memorial Day.
Even though our office is closed on the above date, 24-hour Internet technical support is available
at 877-50-ADAMS or 877-502-3267.
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Kicking off 2013: Opportunities for Youth
This is the time of year that Adams Telephone Co-Operative kicks off two great youth programs: Youth to Washington Tour and Foundation for Rural Services (FRS) Scholarship program.
Youth to Washington Tour
Our connections to our communities start with our connections to our youth. Adams is very proud of our youth and works hard to provide these young people with opportunities that promote leadership and excellence throughout our communities. The Youth to Washington program continues to be a huge success. This program is open to high school sophomores and juniors that reside in Adams, Brown, Schuyler, Hancock, McDonough, Fulton or Pike County in Illinois. Adams Telephone Co-Operative, in conjunction with Adams Electric Cooperative and the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC), sponsors the annual Youth Day in Springfield, IL, and the trip to Washington, D.C. Through this program students learn more about our local and national government and also the importance of cooperatives.
Eligible students complete a short application (due February 22, 2013); then, up to 32 finalists are chosen to participate in Youth Day in Springfield, April 17, 2013. This is a day spent with students from all over the state, touring historical sites, meeting with legislatures, and learning more about cooperatives. At the end of the day, interviews are conducted to determine the four winners (two from each cooperative) of the week-long, all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., June 14-21, 2013.
While on tour in Washington, DC students will visit the Civil War Battlefield at Gettysburg, the National Cathedral, Smithsonian Museums, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, FDR Memorial, George Washington’s home and grounds, Supreme Court, Kennedy Center, Arlington Cemetery, the Holocaust Museum and other interesting sites (sites vary year to year). Students will also meet members of Congress and enjoy a special twilight Potomac River Cruise. Additionally, to better understand cooperatives and their importance, participants will take part in a Chip ‘n Pop Co-op that they operate throughout the trip.
Eligible students may download the application today by visiting www.adams.net/yt. The due date for applications is February 22, 2013. Applications postmarked after February 22 will not be considered.
For more information, watch the Youth Tour video on YouTube or visit www.youthtour.coop.
FRS Scholarship Program
Adams Telephone Co-Operative is pleased to announce our annual Foundation for Rural Services (FRS) Scholarship program for 2013. This program reflects Adams Telephone Co-Operative’s continual commitment to providing educational opportunities to our rural communities and our rural youth. The FRS program provides our members’ students an opportunity to apply for a $2,500 scholarship to any accredited college, university or vocational school. Underscoring Adams’ commitment to our youth, we are again sponsoring the $500 Adams scholarship, which will be awarded if we do not have a FRS winner from our area.
Students who are interested in applying for this $2,500 scholarship must reside in a household where telephone service is provided by Adams Telephone Co-Operative. These exchanges are Augusta (392), Chambersburg (327), Coatsburg/Paloma (455), Fishhook (338), Golden/La Prairie (696), Hersman (289), Lima (985), Loraine (938) Mendon (936), Meyer (647), Mindale (667), Plymouth (458), and Ursa (964).
Applications and eligibility requirements are available from your high school guidance counselor or by visiting www.adams.net/frs. Applications are due to Adams Telephone Co-Operative by February 22, 2013.
Eligible students may apply online by visiting www.adams.net/frs. Please call our Business Office at (217) 696-4411 for additional details.
Using Technology to Stay Safe
We're just like you. We're working professionals, parents, students...you name it. But the one thing we all have in common is our dedication to using technology to stay safe. And the more resources we have, the bigger impact we can all make. Together.
Learn how these smartphone apps can help protect you and your family.
Life360
Thanks to the power of GPS, you can now keep track of where your family members roam with this free app. Life260 gives you your kiddo’s exact location, alerts you when they’re in trouble, and even comes equipped with a check-in feature. However, your youngster will have to “accept” being tracked by verifying a text, so trailing your kiddo on the sly is not an option. Cost: FREE
Norton Safety Minder
Part of your job as a parent is to be nosey — especially when it boosts your kids’ safety. And, when it comes to your kiddo’s electronic activity, keeping in the know is easier with the right technology. This free child-safety app can be downloaded to your youngster’s Android mobile phone or Kindle Fire device and monitors their smartphone habits. You can view the websites your kids visit, block specific sites or types of sites they access, or upgrade to Premier to see who and what your kids are texting and what apps they install. Cost: FREE
FBI Child ID
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has now found a way to help protect your kids quicker. The app enables you to store and password-protect photos and vital information about your child on your mobile phone or tablet and have it on hand to quickly supply to law enforcement of FBI personnel should your youngster go missing. Cost: FREE
Dates to Remember
The Adams Business Office will be closed on Friday, March 29 in honor of Good Friday.
Even though our office is closed on the above date, 24-hour Internet technical support is available at
877-50-ADAMS
877-502-3267
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Comming Soon...4G LTE
For many months, we have been planning and preparing for our newest technology offering, in our quest to ensure Adams is always “a better way to connect.” We are very excited to announce that Adams will soon offer 4G LTE broadband services. 4G LTE is a method for us to provide our customers with the broadband services they need for working from home, online education, socializing, and entertainment.
We have four 4G LTE sites that are currently in various stages of construction: Golden, Liberty, Mendon and Quincy. These sites will transmit wireless signals to a small wireless modem positioned in a customer’s home or business. This new technology will enable us to reach new customers, as well as improve speeds to some existing wireless customers.
As this is a new technology for Adams, we are still determining who will be best served with 4G LTE. The exact reach of this wireless product is being tested and analyzed. We are also in the process of developing the customer packages and pricing. Be sure to check out future editions of Adams newsletters, our Facebook page, and website for details coming soon on this exciting technology!
What does Speed Really Mean?
Download, upload, DSL, Fiber, broadband… what do all these terms mean in the Internet world? Your connection to the Internet is defined by the speed in which your computer connects to the World Wide Web. When you are connected to the Internet, everything you see and do is comprised of packets of data.
The download speed, usually the first number listed in most Internet providers’ advertisements, relates to how many data packets you can receive in a second. For example, your download speed affects how quickly you can view content on a website, or how fast you can download a song or movie. The upload speed is how long it takes you to send those packets of data such as uploading several photos to a website or sending an email with a large file attached. The advertised connection speed can also be subject to other factors that may slow you down. If you have spyware or other problematic programs on your computer, those can slow down your connection to the Internet.
Adams provides a variety of technologies used to provide broadband Internet service. Broadband is the term used to describe a high-speed connection.
Adams has undertaken a massive effort to bring fiber to many locations in our service area as demand for faster connections continues. To talk to someone about your Internet connection needs, please contact 877-50-ADAMS.
Connecting to Your Customers
Are you a business that needs ‘a better way to connect’ with your customers? For years, residents and businesses have relied on the Quincy Area Wide® Directory, published by Adams and widely distributed throughout our area. Over 66,000 copies are distributed, reaching residents in 66 communities in West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri. Our directory is available in print or online at www.Quincy411.com
As a business, you’ll want to advertise in a directory that is connected to your community. Our directory publisher, Directory Publishing Solutions, offers new
and innovative digital products to enhance your business’s total media package, such as websites, videos, direct mail, SEO management, mobile marketing and much more. Become part of the 2013 Adams Quincy Area Wide® Directory, by contacting a local Directory Publishing Solutions, Inc. representative at (866) 221-4300 to discuss advertising options for your business.
Cell Phone Recycling Program
Vintage Tech Recyclers and Adams have designed a convenient program for residents of our community to recycle their cell phones responsibly. Let's team up so we can all work together to keep the planet green!!
Benefits of dropping off your cell phone:
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- Helps keep our planet green
- Helps keep toxic materials out of landfills
- No cost to you
- No limit on the number of cell phones
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Cell phones may be dropped off at our business office located at 405 Emminga Road in Golden, Illinois.
Office Closings
The Adams Business Office will be closed on the following dates so that our employees have the opportunity to enjoy the holiday with their families.
- November 22-23 (Thanksgiving)
- December 24 at 12pm (Christmas Eve)
- December 25 (Christmas)
- December 31 at 3pm (New Year's Eve)
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What a Great Adventure!
Arlington National Cemetery, Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington National Cathedral, Vietnam War Memorial, Holocaust Museum...these are only a few of the places Emery Gronewold (Golden), Kurt Schuster (Golden), and Kassie Henry (Bowen) visited while on this year's Youth to Washington Tour sponsored by the National Rural Electrical Association (NRECA).
June 15-22 marked a week Emery, Kurt, and Kassie will not soon forget. As representatives of Adams Telephone Co-Operative on the tour, they joined more than 1,500 students across the country at our nation's capitol. Aside form visiting places of historical interest, the students wee able to meet with congressmen, learn more about the U.S. government, and have a hand in running their own cooperative. Each year, Youth Tour participants form their own "Chip-'n-Pop Co-Op," in order to provide beverages and snacks for tour students. Besides being able to purchase drinks and snacks at discounted prices, participants learned the importance of cooperatives and the benefits of being "member-owners."
L to R: Kurt Schuster, Kassie Henry, and Emery Gronewold,Stephanie Dearwester, and Tyler Ormond.
Breaking the Internet
You may have read or heard some news reports in the past few weeks about how the Internet may 'break' for hundreds of thousands of people in July. We thought you'd like to know why this is the case and what you should be on the lookout for.
Visit Adams' Tech Blog here to get all the details.
Call Not Getting Through?
Adams strives to provide excellent service at all times. However, people who live in rural areas all around the country are reporting that calls to them are not getting through, or they are getting calls with poor quality.
You may be experiencing any of the following:
- Someone tells you they tried to call you but the call didn’t get through or the call rang on their end but your phone did not ring
- A call came through to you but the quality was poor
- A call came through but the caller ID was incorrect
The problem starts with the carrier used by the customer who makes the call, not your local telecommunications provider and can only be resolved by the carrier used by the customer who makes the call.
This nationwide epidemic is negatively affecting local businesses, public safety, and our relationships with our customers. Rural carriers have complained to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and state agencies. The FCC has created a task force to investigate and address the issue and rural telco advocates are encouraging swift and severe action against all of the providers at the center of the problem.
We are hopeful that the large nationwide providers involved in these issues or the FCC will act quickly to address these problems.
In the meantime, here’s what you can do:
- Ask for the name of the long-distance carrier used by the person trying to reach you.
- Call your local provider and give them details. Include the name of the carrier used by the caller so that we can contact the carrier on your behalf to try and resolve the issue.
- Go to www.fcc.gov/complaints to file an informal wired telephone service complaint with the FCC against the carrier used by the person trying to call you (not your local service provider), and encourage the caller to do the same.
Legislative Update
At Adams we view the landline as a complement to cellular and broadband services. It serves a purpose, to keep you connected and safe while inside your home. The FCC views it differently. They view broadband as the new telephone service and if they have it their way it won't be long until the landline phone has gone the way of the telegraph.
The FCC is taking steps to price the local telephone out of the reach of most consumers. The FCC has mandated a minimum price for local service and if that minimum is not charged they will reduce their financial support to rural areas. In addition to the rate floor they have established the Access Recovery Charge (ARC) which will be applied to many consumers' bills.
Combined with charges to consumers the FCC is also directly squeezing carriers. The FCC has placed limits on the recovery of investments that we have made based on the rules in place at the time. This limits our ability to recover investments we made bringing fiber to our rural communities. The FCC is also eliminating the fees that long distance carriers pay to access our network with no requirement that those providers share their savings with consumers.
The rules that the FCC has adopted will harm businesses and consumers in rural areas across the country. Many carriers will be forced to reduce jobs and commitments to rural communities while the largest carriers who have ignored rural America will receive a windfall. Instead of promoting broadband growth in rural areas it will have the opposite effect. We hope that you feel as we do that this is unacceptable and will help articulate this message to the FCC and our legislators.
Please help by sending a message to congress by visiting our Legislative Action Page by clicking here.
Office Closings
The Adams Business office will be closed on the following dates:
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