Winning E-Story Submitted by: Bill Hollifield

In 2003 we took a calculated risk. We left Houston to come to Peel, Arkansas and build our dream log home on a hillside. Since we are too far out for DSL, we obtained WildBlue satellite access through NATCO. That fast, reliable access has enabled me to continue to work for an engineering company in Houston - to download large datasets for analysis, upload results, and conveniently book stateside and international business travel.

(Also thanks to Mesa Airlines in Harrison!)

Bill Hollifield just earned two free months of NATCO Internet service! Submit your E-Story today and you could be our next winner! Remember that you can enter more than once. So, if you didn't win this time, try again! Just go to www.natcotech.com/estories.php and tell us how using NATCO's Internet or e-mail service has made your life easier, helped you promote or manage your business, or simply how much you enjoy using the Internet and e-mail. If your E-Story is chosen, you'll win two months of free NATCO dialup Internet service ($19.95 X 2 = $39.90) or an equivalent credit on your DSL or ISDN account.

Has a NATCO Representative Contacted You?

In accordance with federal laws dealing with CALEA, NATCO is updating all DSL connections to a protocol known as "PPPoE." This upgrade is accomplished by changing the settings in your DSL modem, router, or operating system.

Our newer customers are already configured for this upgrade, but many of our long time customers will need to manually configure their modems or routers to enable this feature. NATCO representatives are in the process of calling each affected customer, and walking him or her through the steps necessary to make the modification.

How will this change benefit our customers? The new connection is password authenticated, increasing the security of your account. The change will allow improvements in technical support for our customers. In addition to these benefits, NATCO Technologies will increase the speed of all DSL accounts at no extra charge to the following:

• $29.95 plan will increase from 256 Kb up to 512 Kb
• $49.95 plan will increase from 768 Kb up to 1,500 Kb
• $79.95 plan will increase from 1,500 Kb up to 6,000 Kb

The speed increases will occur when NATCO completes all upgrades in late 2007 to most of our service area. We appreciate everyone's patience while we address this issue.

Tech Tips - Printers

Printer Maintenance
Many users experience problems with printers which are easily preventable. Such problems as streaks, faded images, and the lack of printing any image at all can be prevented quite easily. The most common cause of these issues is clogged ink heads.

While some users insist on manually cleaning the ink heads with Q-tips dipped in water, simply using a printer often enough will discourage clogging of the ink heads. Some experts advise printing a sheet of paper once or twice a week to maintain proper ink flow.

Although most printers attempt to undergo a clogged ink removal process during the startup sequence, even popular brand printers may provide inadequate cleaning.

The tips discussed above apply to common home printers; if you or your business owns a large commercial printer, you will likely require an experienced technician with printer specialization to properly maintain your printer.

NATCO at the Business Expo in Mountain Home

We enjoyed the opportunity to meet with many of our customers at the second annual Business Expo on May 12th. If you did not get the opportunity to speak with us, feel free to contact us by e-mailing Customer Service or contact our technical support at 1-888-276-8059.

Free Wireless Hotspots in Mountain Home

If you have a laptop with wireless capabilities, you will now be able to surf online, check your e-mail, etc. at local restaurants like El Chico and Hardee's in Mountain Home through a service provided by NATCO. This new capability shows a growing trend that companies are using Internet access to entice customers to visit. Wireless Internet access allows individuals to keep up with the news or business lunch meetings to become more useful.

The next time you stop by El Chico for Mexican food or Hardee's for a hamburger, bring your laptop and check it out!

NATCO's Annual Internet Survey

Every year, NATCO sends out a customer satisfaction survey to help us determine the areas we can improve and new services we can offer. In July, we will send out an e-mail to each customer requesting your opinion of NATCO's various services.

We use this data to generate ideas about how we can better serve our customers and how our current activities are helping people. Please take a moment to respond to the survey when you receive it.

Land Lines - Always There When You Need Them

If you use a cell phone too often, you may not realize some of the benefits of using a land line:

•	Cell phone companies rely on local phone companies to provide land lines for cell service including tower to tower connections and backbone connections
•	Traditional land line phones operate without electricity, so even in storms and electrical outages land line phone service can be available
•	Some emergency 911 centers do not have the ability to retrieve a physical address from a cell phone
•	Home and business security systems connect to traditional phones
•	Superior transmission by traditional phones
•	Financial help offered to low-income households - ask about Link-up and Lifeline
•	Phone number listings & phone book provided
•	Cost is less than $1 a day

These are just some of the reasons that the traditional land line is important for safety, security, and superior service. For more information call us at 1-800-775-6682.

Tech Day

"Tech Day" at NATCO this year provided the South Shore Marion County Youth Leadership Team with hands-on activities which were aimed to encourage interest in technology among students and advisers from area schools. Discussions about how long distance phone call technology and paying bills online have changed throughout the years.

Fun was had by all as NATCO employees demonstrated and explained equipment used to test and resolve problems encountered with switches, phone lines, fiber optic cable, and other technologies.

Another key point brought up during Tech Day was NATCO's commitment to recycling phone directories. Environmental concerns are a priority for NATCO, and recycling bins will be placed throughout the NATCO service area for customers to use.

Uninterruptible Power Supplies

We have recently updated NATCO's supplemental telecom battery backup system. This upgrade has been made to ensure that natural disasters are less likely to cause any disruption in service.

Did you know that some people are using uninterruptible power supplies for their home computers? Home users may find UPS devices at many locations which sell computer accessories. These devices contain batteries which charge while the power is on, and keep your computer running when the power goes out. Have you ever experienced a "flicker" of electricity while on your computer? With a UPS, you could keep your computer running long enough to save your work and shut down normally.

Another advantage of a UPS is that most contain built-in surge protectors to protect your computer against electrical spikes in your home's electrical current.

YouTube

If you have teenage children, you have probably heard about "YouTube," and if you haven't heard about it, they probably have. So, what is YouTube and why has it become so well known?

YouTube is a website in which users can record videos (or edit existing videos), and upload those videos for other people to see. Some people rate the videos and leave comments about the videos.

Much like MySpace, YouTube is a common website for people to interact with each other. Though it has much competition, YouTube's popularity has remained high - high enough for search engine giant Google to spend over $1.6 billion to purchase the site.

You may have heard of recent controversy in the press relating to YouTube. Most of the discussion revolves around YouTube users uploading material that some people believe is covered by copyright law while other people believe it is allowed by fair use laws. Regardless of legalities, YouTube has taken active steps in attempts to filter copyrighted material (segments of TV shows, movies, etc.) to comply.

Win a South Shore Gift

When you visit the South Shore website at www.southshore.com, you'll have a chance to win a South Shore souvenir, like a T-shirt, a cap, chiller cups, and other necessities for the great South Shore outdoors. The South Shore website is an electronic community for the towns on and near the south shore of Bull Shoals Lake, and it's packed with information for you and for our tourist visitors.

Donna Babb is this month's winner of a South Shore tote bag. Congratulations, Donna.

Weekly Maintenance on Wednesday

Each Wednesday morning from 12:01 A.M. until 5 A.M., NATCO Technologies performs regular maintenance on Internet equipment. Your Internet service should not be affected. But, if you do experience an interruption in service during this time, please try again a few moments later. We try to minimize any "down time" by doing our maintenance at a regular time each week.

All users agree to terms and guidelines published at www.natcotech.com/guideline.htm.

Feedback: NATCO invites readers' comments about the e-newsletter and suggestions for future articles. Let us know what information in the e-newsletter is most useful or what Internet issues are important to you. Readers may send suggestions for future e-newsletter articles, questions or comments to: custserv@natconet.com.

Want to view previous issues? Visit: e-newsletter archives.

NATCO Technologies does not endorse or recommend any software or program. The purpose of the articles included in this newsletter is to keep our customers informed. We do not provide free technical support for software or programs such as Norton, McAfee, AVG Anti-Virus, Instant Messenger Services, etc. Please see the NATCO Internet brochure for full details on what is and is not covered by our free Internet Technical Support.