NATCO is moving ahead with plans to offer satellite TV to NATCO customers in 2005 and high-speed Internet in under-served areas of their telephone exchanges, also by satellite.

NATCO Vice President Steven Sanders Jr., and NATCO Business Manager Steve Smith attended the Dallas Operational Meeting for WildBlue, a satellite communications company.

Sanders said, “NATCO has been a leader among small telephone companies in bringing advanced technology to our customers. We do offer high-speed Internet to all of our customers, either by ISDN or by DSL where it can be deployed. We will extend our high-speed Internet services via satellite and add satellite DIRECTV® to our services.”

NATCO has partnered with the members of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative to provide satellite broadband Internet, DIRECTV, or both, to all customers. This includes those who are not served by cable television or over-the-air television and cannot be served by DSL Internet, due to their specific location. NATCO offers DSL high-speed Internet in all its phone exchanges. However, some customers are located too far from telephone switching equipment to be able to take advantage of DSL.

According to WildBlue, broadband Internet access is available to more than 65 percent of the people living in metropolitan areas with populations of 250,000 or more. Yet, only about five percent of rural towns with populations less than 10,000 have access to broadband.

Services and rates subject to change. Please call to confirm current availability.