Broadband News
Star Telephone Recognized by Chamber of Commerce
Clinton Sampson Chamber of Commerce has named Star Telephone Membership Corporation as its Member of the Week. Located in Clinton, North Carolina, Star Telephone is a local provider of voice, video, and data services and a member-owned cooperative since 1959.
Congratulations to Star Telephone!
Ritter Communications Invited to Testify at Senate Communications Subcommittee Hearing on Rural Communications
The Senate Communications Subcommittee has announced the witness list for a hearing on rural communications and the “challenges facing companies serving rural consumers” and the list include smaller cable operators and telecom providers intimately familiar with the issue.
Scheduled to testify are Steven Davis from CenturyLink, John Strode of Ritter Communications, Patricia Jo Boyers of BOYCOM Cablevision Inc., and Leroy Carlson Jr. of Telephone & Data Systems.
The hearing is scheduled for April 9th in Washington, DC.
GVTC Communications Launches Company’s First Wi-Fi Hot Spot
JB Wells Park gets GVTC Hot Spot
GVTC has launched the company’s first ever Wi-Fi hotspot and it is located at JB Wells Park in Gonzales. The 169-acre facility has a covered pavilion, a multi-purpose show barn, a covered arena, practice arena and more than 390 RV hook-ups. What it didn’t have was a hotspot for campers and park guests to log onto the Internet.
The Texas Youth Rodeo Association recently held an event at JB Wells and more than 125 people took advantage of the free Wi-Fi offer.
“The response from our first weekend of Wi-Fi shows there’s demand for this type of service in rural locations,” GVTC CEO Ritchie Sorrells said. “We’re excited to work with the city of Gonzales to provide access to GVTC’s fiber network via Wi-Fi, and the future opportunities it represents.”
Zito Media Gets New Headquarters
Zito Media, part of the former Adelphia Communications Empire, has signed a 15-year lease to serve as an anchor tenant in the Adelphia Operations Building, known locally as the “Taj Mahal”.
The nearly 80,000 square foot structure located on Main Street in downtown Coudersport, Pennsylvania has been a constant reminder to residents of days gone by. The beautiful four-story building with marble columns, bronze accents and towering reflective Palladian windows has been sitting idle for a decade but now with a new tenant there’s hope that it will bring new life back to the downtown area.
Central Georgia EMC Provides Grant to Purchase Pediatric Crib for Sylvan Grove Hospital
On Thursday, Jan. 24, the Sylvan Grove Hospital Auxiliary presented a new Stryker pediatric crib to the ER at the Jackson hospital that was purchased with grants provided in part by Central Georgia Electric Membership Corp.
“One of the big needs that the hospital had in the emergency room was a crib and the $6,000 crib that can open on all sides can be rolled directly into the X-ray room.
“Central Georgia EMC provided a $3,000 grant through its Operation Round Up program”, said Communications Specialist Rodney Christopher. “Members who elect to round up their monthly power bills contribute to the program”.
Congressman, Lamar Smith, (center), poses with the GVTC executive team. Blanco Mayor Chuck Homan and GVTC chairman Chuck Knibbe are pictured to the right of the congressman. GVTC CEO Ritchie Sorrells is pictured left.
GVTC Gets Visit from Congressman
January 16, 2013 - Congressman Lamar Smith visited GVTC headquarters on Monday. He met with CEO Ritchie Sorrells, GVTC Chairman Chuck Knibbe, the GVTC executive team, and Blanco Mayor Chuck Homan.
Congressman Smith complimented the communications company for making its auditorium available to nonprofit organizations at no charge as he learned more about GVTC’s operations and position in the community.
The group also discussed issues taking place in the nation’s capital and how that might affect the co-op’s industry and the economy.
ERF Wireless Continues to Expand Its High-Speed Terrestrial Networks
LEAGUE CITY, TX–(Marketwire – Jan 16, 2013) – ERF Wireless, Inc. (OTCBB: ERFB), a leading provider of enterprise-class wireless and broadband products and services, announced today that the company has completed building its previously announced high-speed wireless broadband network in the Eagle Ford Shale region of South Texas.
According to Dr. H. Dean Cubley, CEO of ERF Wireless, “The completion of our recent network build-outs has added approximately 22,000 square miles of new terrestrial wireless coverage in North America for ERF Wireless. The expanded coverage will provide an opportunity for these new networks to generate multiple revenue streams from a new pool of banking, healthcare, educational, commercial and residential customers.”
Monster Broadband Acquires Wireless Provider DotSpot/iGiles.net
Monster Broadband announced the purchase DotSpot/iGiles.net Internet services effective January 1, 2013. The acquisition will help the company continue to expand its network in Pulaski, Lawrenceburg, Loretto and now Leoma. Monster Broadband owns and operates fixed wireless broadband networks throughout Middle Tennessee, where it provides high-speed fixed wireless internet services, Voice over IP and Satellite TV.
City of Chillicothe Has a White Christmas 
Chillicothe received just under an inch of snow on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, covering Chillicothe in a blanket of white. The rain/snow mix, along with blustery winds, caused school to be cancelled both Thursday and Friday, giving students an early start to their Christmas break.
GVTC Sponsors Sports Complex
GVTC, a Texas-based provider of telecommunications services, has signed a long term agreement with World Wide Soccer L.L.C. to place its name on a local sports complex. The six year contract allows GVTC to place its signage at the field entrance and throughout the complex. The GVTC name will also be displayed on the World Wide soccer website promoting games, seasonal camps, training programs and other activities to he held at the new complex. Read more.
HTC Technician Gets Up-close Look at Wildfire Aftermath
There was a wildfire recently in the service area of our Affiliate Jamadots.com, a provider of telephone and broadband services across Michigan’s upper peninsula. A service technician for Hiawatha Telephone Company (HTC) got special clearance to survey the damage to their network from the fire and was able to take some photos. Read more.
ERF Wireless Reports a Revenue Increase in Q1 Results
Texas based ERF Wireless reported strong revenue growth for the first quarter of 2012. Bolstered by the company’s Energy Broadband subsidiary, which services the oil and gas sector, ERF saw a 46% increase in consolidated revenue compared to the same period last year. Read more.
Star Telephone Loses a Longtime Employee
We’re saddened to hear that Benjamin (Zach) Bennett, a headend technician at our customer Star Telephone, passed away Monday, May 7, 2012 at the age of 64. A lifelong resident of Livonia, LA, he is survived by Hugh Riley, nieces, nephews, as well as other friends and relatives. He will be missed by those at ZCorum that had the pleasure to work with him.