News
Beware of “phishing” e-mails
PC Telcom was notified by a few customers last night that they received the following Phishing e-mail:
From: pctelcom.coop
To:
Sent: Thu, 06 Jul 2017 20:42:13 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: @pctelcom.coop IT Help Desk.
Attn :
An Attempt was made to Your Account from a new computer. Please kindly confirm your account by clicking on: (We do not want to show the link)
pctelcom.coop IT Help Desk.
Thank you for your cooperation.
System Administrator.
DO NOT CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS AND DELETE ANY MESSAGE THAT LOOKS SUSPICIOUS.
A Phishing scam is the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Phishing is a common e-mail practice. It has been going on for years and will undoubtedly be around for many years to come. Many times, it is a customer’s Contacts that are accessed nefariously to gather e-mail addresses. This is how the target list is generated. A good antivirus is highly recommended. We do employ filters to catch much of this type of activity but every once in a while, something gets through.
PC Telcom does not request account information via email. Please call PC Telcom at 970-854-2201 or 866-854-2111 with any questions.
Internet
Fiber and Wireless Internet Customers – Denial of Service event on Friday, June 9th
June 11, 2017
We at PC Telcom became aware of a Denial of Service event on Friday, June 9th. Pending further investigation, it appears an outside party has flooded PC Telcom’s network in order to negatively impact a certain brand/model of router. (Note: This Does NOT Impact Cable Internet Service.)
This event caused the targeted router to factory reset, thus causing customers to lose their Internet connection. It appears that this was a “broadcast” event and was not aimed towards an individual account, router, network, or even geographic area. No customer data was impacted by this event. PC Telcom is in the process of installing updated configuration files and/or scheduling the replacement of impacted routers. Customers who lose their internet connection are asked to call PC Telcom’s help desk at 970-854-7500 or 866-398-1660.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this outage. Please call 970-854-2201 to report telephone or Cable Television outages or 970-854-7500 / 866-398-1660 to call our Internet help desk for internet related issues.
Upgrades to PC Telcom Julesburg Tower – Intermittent Outages
May 31, 2017
PC Telcom will be upgrading our wireless internet equipment on our Julesburg tower today, May 31, 2017. Current wireless customers served by this tower may experience intermittent outages today while we make this changeover. Thank you for your patience.
Cable TV
April 19, 2017
Effective immediately KPNE – Nebraska PBS (channel 9) is no longer available. You are encouraged to access NET Nebraska through their website (www.netnebraska.org) or the apps in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The website and apps allow you to enjoy NET Nebraska video, NET Radio and Nebraska Capital Live.
Julesburg Office to be Closed for Two Weeks
April 10, 2017
The PC Telcom office at 123 Cedar Street in Julesburg will be closed for two weeks due to remodeling.
We plan on reopening on April 25th.
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
If you have and questions or concerns please call us at 970-474-5002 or 866-854-2111.
Fixed Wireless Internet (Sedgwick, Ovid, and Julesburg)
April 7, 2017
PC Telcom, with the help of a Colorado Broadband Fund grant, will be installing new high-speed LTE fixed wireless broadband equipment on our towers in Julesburg and Sedgwick. This in turn will require new compatible equipment to be installed at your property. The new equipment will allow us to offer increased speeds, up to 25 Mbps down. This is more than twice the speed of the current 12 Mbps we offer. This changeover is expected to take place in late April/May. We will be sure to keep you informed of our schedule and progress.
Cable TV
April 6, 2017
NBC Universal – Esquire Channel Announcement – NBC Universal has announced it will discontinue distribution of the Esquire Network (channel 244 in the Expanded Package) as of July 1st. Esquire Network, a partnership between NBC Universal and Hearst Magazines, took over Style network in September 2013, with the goal of reaching young, affluent men who have been traditionally hard to reach on TV.
If you have questions regarding this announcement, please contact PC Telcom at 866-854-2111 during regular business hours.
Holyoke & Amherst Telephone
April 1, 2017
FCC Regulations Require Increases to Access Recovery Charge – The ARC (Access Recovery Charge) is a line-item charge on your monthly phone bill that’s required by FCC regulations. These regulations went into effect in 2012 and involve a small annual increase for a specified number of years for the customers of rural telephone companies such as ours. Starting July 1, 2017, the ARC will increase by another $0.50 for residential customers. Customers of multi-line business service will not see an ARC increase. Please contact us if you have any questions about these changes.
Cable TV
April 1, 2017
Effective April 1, 2017 ION (channel 244) is no longer available.
Cable TV
April 1, 2017
Please note that effective May 1, 2017 the rate for Basic Cable TV will increase from $69.95 to $74.95 and Expanded/HD from $19.95 to $24.95. This increase is a direct result of increased fees charged by the video programmers.
Holyoke & Amherst Telephone
April 1, 2017
Colorado Universal Service Fund
You may have noticed a charge on your telephone bill for the Colorado Universal Service Fund. This charge is required by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to pay for the Colorado Universal Service fund established by state law.
What is the Colorado Universal Service Fund?
It is a fund to ensure that basic telephone service is affordable in Colorado. Money from the fund is used to support basic local phone service in areas where costs to provide service are high. This allows local phone rates to remain reasonably comparable across the state. Payments are made to telephone companies that serve areas with high costs and meet other PUC requirements for the funding.
What services is this charge applied to and who pays it?
This charge is assessed as a percentage of your in-state telecommunications services for local, wireless, paging, in-state long distance and optional services. The charge is not applied to interstate services. All telecommunications customers in Colorado pay this monthly charge.
What is the monthly charge?
The monthly charge is currently set at 2.6 percent, which was effective April 1, 2013. The PUC may adjust the charge over time depending on how much money is needed for the fund and to make sure that customers do not pay more than is necessary.
Who do I call if I have questions about this charge?
For more information call PC Telcom at 970-854-2201 or 866-854-2111. You may also stop in our office at: 240 S. Interocean Avenue, Holyoke, CO 80734.
Holyoke & Amherst Telephone
April 1, 2017
Phillips County Telephone Company, d/b/a PC Telcom, will be increasing its rate for basic residential local exchange service from $18.22 to $20.00 effective May 1, 2017. This increase is necessary to comply with the mandate from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) that local telephone companies, such as PC Telcom, charge a minimum rate for residential local service. The FCC has established a multi-year transition period for local telephone companies to achieve this required rate.
PC Telcom will also be increasing its rate for basic business local exchange service from $21.22 to $22.49 effective May 1, 2017.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has been notified of PC Telcom’s rate increase. A copy of the notice is available for examination at the following locations:
PC Telcom
240 S Interocean
Holyoke, CO 80734
or
Colorado Public Utilities Commission
1560 Broadway Suite 250
Denver, CO 80202
Anyone may file a written objection to PC Telcom’s rate increase with the Commission by sending a letter to the address above or by email at; dora_puc_complaints@state.co.us.
The Commission may hold a hearing and receive comment from the public concerning PC Telcom’s rate increase. Anyone who desires to receive notice of nay hearing may file a written request for notice with the Commission at the above address. If a hearing is held, anyone may attend and make a statement about PC Telcom’s rate increase.
Cable TV
March 1, 2017
Effective March 1, 2017 Soppressa (channel 97) is no longer available.