Meet the New MaNagerBoard names familiar face to top post

Fiber ProgressCrews closer to bringing fiber to Whitley City, Pine Knot and other areas

high-sPeed PursuitFiber leads officers on

published for the members of Highland Telephone Cooperative

Vol. 2, No. 2 | Spring 2012The HTC

Highlander

HTCnews

is a member-owned corporation dedicated to providing communications technology to

the people of Tennessee. The company has over 20,000 access lines, making it the state’s

largest telecommunications cooperative.

is a quarterly newsletterpublished by Highland Telephone

Cooperative, © 2012. It is distributed without charge to all member/owners

of the Cooperative.Send address corrections to:

Highland Telephone CooperativeP.O. Box 119

7840 Morgan Co. Hwy.Sunbright, Tennessee 37872-0119

Telephone: 423-628-2121www.highlandtel.net

Produced for HTC by:www.WordSouth.com

On the Cover:

Deputy Cody Yancey (left) and Chief Deputy Ronnie Phillips review an

incident online at the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.

The HTC

Highlander

The Highland Telephone Cooperative board of directors recently voted to move a familiar face into a more permanent position in the general manager’s office.

Mark Patterson, who has been serving as interim manager of Highland Telephone, has been named HTC’s new GM.

Patterson has served as manager of High-land Communications since 1996, growing HTC’s Internet service from a few hundred customers to some 10,000. “This is an excit-ing time to be in the telephone and Internet industry,” Patterson says, “and I’m ready to work with the board to lead this cooperative through whatever challenges and opportuni-ties we face.”

The Board voted to install Patterson at its April 16 meeting.

Jim Terry, the chairman of HTC’s board of directors called Patterson the “perfect fit.”

“Mark was the obvious choice from the beginning,” Terry says. “He’s knowledgeable enough to step right in and work with the en-gineers. We’re very excited to have him.”

Even before coming to Highland, Patterson already had plenty of experience in the tele-communications industry. He spent six years in Knoxville as sales and service administra-tor for the southeast region of TDS Telecom-munications. Before that he worked for 11 years in sales at Graybar, the industry-leading distributor of electrical and telecommunica-tions components.

One of the things that excites Patterson most about being general manager is oversee-ing the fiber optic installation throughout the HTC service area. He sees the fiber build as both the cooperative’s biggest challenge and biggest opportunity. “There are so many mov-ing parts in the project,” he says, “but when it’s finished we’re going to be offering speeds

that members have never experienced before.”Twice with Highland Communications,

Patterson oversaw the early phases of new technology — dial-up Internet in 1996 and DSL in 2003. He says those experiences have helped prepare him to continue pleasing ex-isting members while adding new customers during the fiber rollout. A University of Ten-nessee graduate with a degree in business, Patterson is a fast learner and needs to be be-cause the first HTC members will be cutover to the new fiber optic network this summer.

The new executive says he plans to contin-ue his hands-on, relationship-based manage-ment style. At Highland Communications he worked hard to get to know his employees and stay in tune with what was going on in their lives. But he admits that’s going to be tougher to do as he oversees the larger parent compa-ny. “It’s been a big adjustment because I’ve gone from knowing 10 employees to knowing 73,” he says.

No matter how large the company might be, he still plans to be visible and involved in projects. “I’ve always used the theory that you lead from the front,” he explains.

Telecom, Internet veteranMark Patterson named manager Board of directors

James E. Terry, 569/286 exchangePresident

JoAn Haynes, 324 exchangeVice-President

Clara Terry, 569/286 exchangeSecretary/Treasurer

Mickey Bingham, 369 exchange

Jan Byrd, 663 exchange

Loma Denney, 376 exchange

David Freytag, 628/965 exchange

Shelva Jo Jones, 376 exchange

Sam Strunk, 354 exchange

John Tate, 627 exchange

Jerry Williams, 346 exchange

Htc’s new GM Mark Patterson

2 | The HTC Highlander • Spring 2012

Plenty of work behind the scenes in fiber projectDespite the wet weather, HTC crews

and contractors are still right on track with the schedule for our fiber-to-the-home net-work installation. And that means it won’t be too long before our members are able to experience the benefits of lightning-fast Internet connections.

Some of the most exciting work is go-ing on in the Kentucky towns of Pine Knot and Whitley City, where crews are string-ing lines. Work will soon begin in Tennes-see at Huntsville and on the south side of Wartburg.

But for each line that goes up, there’s plenty of work going on behind the scenes.

Crews don’t just start stringing fiber — they follow a plan designed by a profes-sional engineering firm. The design phase is nearly complete for the Huntsville ex-change and Wartburg D route. Plans are also being drawn for the Robbins area and engineers are taking the preliminary steps on the Oneida design.

After a fiber route is planned and in-stalled, each individual fiber strand must be tested. This can be a tedious process, but it is also one of the most important.

These tests are in various stages of com-pletion around the area, and all tests must be complete in each exchange before the final cutover can begin.

In this last step, crews place a fiber line to each customer, splicing that drop and installing the ONT (Optical Network Ter-minal) box on the house. Once that’s com-plete, the terminal must be placed in the box, and a battery pack must be installed.

After a few more technical steps, the customer is finally ready to be cutover to the fiber service. Crews have taken some of these preliminary cutover steps in the Oneida exchange on C route (Coopertown Road area) to prepare homes for the new connections.

While the areas mentioned are where work is going on now, plans have already been designed for other parts of the HTC service area. “We want our members to understand the big picture,” says general manager Mark Patterson. “Crews may not be working in your community today, but by the end of three years everyone will have access to our fiber network. We’re moving along at a very quick pace.”

Fiber Project

UPdaTeDesign Phase:

Robbins Oneida Huntsville Wartburg D Route

ConstruCtion:

Pine Knot Whitley City

testing:

Various areas

Cutover:

Coopertown Road area of Oneida

You’ve probably heard that Htc members will experience lightning fast internet connections when they are switched over to fiber.

But they aren’t the only ones who will see a speed boost: Htc customers already on fiber will also see faster speeds on the Web. once the network is installed, everyone will be “turned up” to full speed which could be 5, 10 or 20 Mbps.

the change will make Web surf-ing and downloads much faster, while unlocking the potential of other internet-enabled devices in your home or office.

Current fiber customers will see speed increases, too

alWays Be saFeMay is National Electrical Safety Month, and while it

is important to be safe year round it’s a good time for

a reminder about being safe around overhead lines.

While almost all of HTC’s lines are low voltage, they usually hang only a few feet from high-voltage electric lines. Recently, a local man was badly burned when he came in contact with some power lines that share a pole with HTC lines. Here are a few tips to remember:

Never climb on or otherwise disturb utility polesDon’t plant trees under utility linesDon’t burn brush under linesTake care when shooting to avoid utility linesNever touch a downed line, whether you think it is telephone or electricCall 423-628-2121 to report downed lines

Spring 2012 • The HTC Highlander | 3

(Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series that explores the impact fiber tech-nology can have on various aspects of our community.)

When he got a message on his computer that four suspected meth cooks had just bought a

load of pseudoephedrine at a handful of lo-cal stores, Chris West knew it was time for action.

The intelligence analyst for the McCrea-ry County, Ky. Sheriff’s Office, West had been tracking the suspects’ pseudoephed-rine purchases for months through an In-ternet-based system. He had noticed a few patterns and decided it was time to move.

Using the high-speed Internet connec-tion from Highland Telephone Coopera-tive, West pulled descriptions and license plate numbers for vehicles associated with

the suspects, and then sent out an intelli-gence bulletin to deputies and nearby state troopers.

When a trooper spotted a car with the matching tag number near Stearns, he cut on his lights to pull the car over. But in-stead of stopping, the suspect led troopers and deputies on a chase that didn’t end until the car wrecked near Whitley City.

The four people inside the car were tak-en to jail on drug, gun, traffic and parole violation charges.

“Knowing who the people were and what they had been doing had a lot to do with the traffic stop and arrests,” West says. “It’s kind of like that old saying ‘knowl-edge is power.’ The more you know, the better off you are — especially with some of the people we deal with.”

High-speed Internet doesn’t always lead to high-speed chases, but HTC’s broadband

network is helping law enforcement and first responders keep the area safe.

Wayne Shoemaker, Scott County E-911 and Emergency Management Agency di-rector, says dispatchers use the broadband network constantly to check locations, li-cense plate numbers and other information for deputies. “It saves time and so far it’s been really reliable,” he says.

On the EMA side, he says HTC’s net-work speeds up response time for state agencies. After a flood or other natural disaster, Shoemaker sends in digital dam-age estimates and other documents rather than calling or faxing the information that would have to be re-typed in Nashville. “They can see your report and they’ll know what we’re looking at,” Shoemaker says.

At the Oneida Police Department, offi-cers are also finding that HTC’s broadband makes them more efficient. At one time, the

The Power of Fiber

High-Speed Pursuits

internet investiGation – Patrolman Josh Kennedy keeps up with crime statistics around the area online at the oneida Police department.

4 | The HTC Highlander • Spring 2012

department had to mail accident reports to Nashville for state records, but now they are sent along the broadband lines digitally. “It speeds things up for us,” says Sgt. Brett Bond. “We used to mail in a stack of those monthly.”

Tennessee also collects data annually on crimes to compile statewide crime statis-tics. All of those are now collected digital-ly. “We’re slowly moving to a place where everything is paperless,” says Bond.

And while it may sound like just paper-work, faster ways to get the reports filed means more time for patrols and other po-lice work. “The deputies are freed up to do the jobs they were hired to do,” says West. “It keeps them out on the street longer.”

Beyond reports, broadband can at times help solve cases and get criminals off the streets. In McCreary County, West’s boss Sheriff Gus Skinner uses his web-site (www.mccrearysheriff.com) to solicit anonymous tips. The department also uses computers to map out burglaries to find patterns and see where the high concentra-tions of crimes are. “We can focus a few more patrols there,” Skinner says.

Investigators also use the network to compare information and swap data with other agencies. “If you’ve got a fugitive somewhere, you can pull up his last known whereabouts, his associates and other in-formation,” Skinner says.

West says there is a “smorgasbord” of state and federal databases out there to keep track of everything from sex offend-ers and parolees to pseudoephedrine and scrap metal.

HTC General Manager Mark Patterson says he’s proud of Highland’s role in help-ing the men and women who keep the area safe. “This is a definite win-win,” he says. “Our broadband network helps emergency workers and they help our members, em-ployees and our community.”

Whatever new tools come along next, HTC’s fiber installation should help keep the area’s crime-fighters on the cutting edge. “Part of the reason people love this community is the safe, small-town atmo-sphere,” Patterson says. “Our fiber net-work should help give law enforcement the tools to keep it that way today and into the future.”

findinG fuGitives – Cody Yancey and other scott county deputies use online systems to keep tabs on sex offenders, wanted fugitives and other criminals.

disaster data – Wayne Shoemaker, director of scott county eMa, says Htc’s broad-band allows him to send disaster information and updates to state officials quickly.

diGital disPatcH – scott county dispatchers like Buffeia Bard use Htc’s broadband network to check locations and license numbers before relaying information to officers.

Spring 2012 • The HTC Highlander | 5

Whether you’re in Knoxville, Lexington or Sunbright, the cable that plugs into your modem probably looks the same. But the challenges the Internet provider fac-

es to get that cable to you are very different.Providers in big cities have major advantages over rural coop-

eratives like HTC. Their customers are packed closely together in concentrated areas, and that advantage comes into play when set-ting rates. City providers can offer more flexible pricing for their service because they bring in significantly more money per mile of line. Connecting fewer customers spread over large areas — like HTC does — is more expensive and gives us less price flexibility.

“Bringing fiber-based broadband access to rural areas like ours is not easy, but we believe our members deserve the same quality connection as anyone anywhere,” says HTC’s Chief Financial Of-ficer Steve Armes.

This challenge is not a new one. The reason cooperatives like

HTC were created was because we serve an area that larger telephone companies deemed unprofitable to serve.

Telephone poles, miles of wire and installation work cost about the same no matter where the work is done. The differ-ence between rural and urban areas is the number of custom-ers connected to each line. In rural areas the lines may only have five or 10 customers per mile. The same mile of phone line in a city like Knoxville with densely packed homes, busi-nesses and apartment complexes, could have dozens or even hundreds of customers. More customers means more money from each line, which is why big, for-profit telephone compa-nies focused on the cities.

Cooperatives like HTC were created when rural resi-dents decided to work together to form their own tele-

phone company. They went door to door in their communities encouraging neighbors to pay a mem-bership fee and borrowed money from the federal

government to start building lines. Even if providing service in rural areas wasn’t profitable enough for big companies, it was still important to the people in those areas. And thanks to the coopera-tive form of business, those residents would have access to the na-tionwide telephone network — just like the folks in the big cities.

Fast forward to the present day and cooperatives are still lead-ing the way with connecting rural areas, this time with broadband Internet. Like with phone service, broadband providers in rural areas bring in significantly less income on each line than city pro-viders. Because of that we have less price flexibility. However, the rates we charge for services are still reasonably competitive with the city providers, despite the additional costs we face.

“People in Morgan, Scott or McCreary counties choose to live here because of our small town quality of life,” Armes says. “They shouldn’t be penalized for that decision by having to settle for any-thing less than quality, reliable phone and Internet service.”

Cell phones are convenient, but can you really count on them in an emergency? Despite improve-ments to the cell tower grid, mobile phones are still not nearly as reliable as a landline — especially in an area full of ridges and valleys like the Highland Telephone Cooperative service area. That’s why HTC and some emergency officials urge residents to keep at least a basic landline connection.

Address data for landline phones is already pro-grammed into the 911 system and pops up for dis-patchers to see whenever a call comes in. For most cell phones, the 911 system uses a process called triangulation to trace the signal from the phone through nearby towers and get an approximate loca-tion of the caller. So far, the process is inconsistent.

Ann Sexton, the operations manager for HTC,

says landlines can also make a big difference if the caller can’t talk due to a medical emergency. The same applies for children or babysitters who might know to call 911 but not know the address.

Landlines also have the advantage of operat-ing without power. In a disaster, you can never be sure your cell battery will last and that cell towers will still function.

The bottom line is, keeping even the most basic landline connection ($14.48 per month) can give you and your family a connection to emergency responders when you need it the most.

Keep a landline for peace of mind

The challenges of

ruralInternet servIce

6 | The HTC Highlander • Spring 2012

HighlandKitchens

Foods that roll, slide & crashHTC employees serve up favorite recipes

Cinnamon Roll PancakesPancaKes: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 large egg, lightly beaten

cinnaMon fillinG: 1/2 cup butter, melted 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

creaM cHeese GlaZe: 4 tablespoons butter 2 ounces cream cheese 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Prepare pancake batter: in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just un-til batter is moistened (a few small lumps are fine).

in a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. scoop the filling into a small zip baggie and set aside. You don’t want this to remain super-liquidy. it’s best if it becomes a consistency similar to toothpaste.

in a medium, microwave-safe bowl, heat butter and cream cheese until melted. Whisk together until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla extract; set aside.

Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. spray with nonstick spray. scoop about 3/4 cup batter into the skillet. snip the cor-ner of your baggie of filling and squeeze a spiral of the filling onto the top of the pancake. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, spoon warmed glaze onto the top of each pancake.

White Castle Sliders 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1 onion, finely chopped 1 package lipton® onion soup mix 1 tablespoon peanut butter (yes, peanut butter...trust me) 1/2 cups milk sara lee® classic dinner rolls (or the really soft small-sized dinner rolls from the bakery) cheese slices, sliced in half (you can use Kraft® Singles or sliced Velveeta® cheese)

in a large bowl, mix (with your hands or spoon) the ground beef, lipton onion soup mix, peanut butter and milk. spread the meat mixture on a cookie sheet — use a cookie sheet with edges. take a cup or rolling pin to roll over the meat to smooth it out.

Place it in a 350° oven for about 10 min-utes. the meat will shrink. take it out of the oven and put the diced onions all around the edges to flavor the meat. return to oven and continue cooking for about 15 minutes.

While the meat is baking, cut your din-ner rolls in half.

take meat out of the oven. if you want onions on your sliders, then spoon them onto the meat from the sides. slice the meat to fit in the rolls. add cheese slices. return cookie sheet to oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. take meat back out and add the top of the rolls (leave the bottom part of the rolls on your coun-ter). Place back into the oven for about 5 more minutes.

take it out of the oven. Pick up the slider top bun with a spatula and set it on the bottom bun. if you want condiments on your burger, put them on the bottom bun before placing the tops on. enjoy!

send your name, address and phone number, along with three to four recipes, and you could be chosen as a featured cook. send your information to:

Highland telephone cooperativeattn: diann stephensP.o. Box 119sunbright, tn 37872-0119

or email: diann@highlandtel.net

Want to be a Highland Kitchens

featured cook?

Crash Hot Potatoes Whole Potatoes (leave skins on) olive oil Kosher salt to taste Black pepper to taste rosemary, or other herbs of choice (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

Generously drizzle a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet, leaving plenty of room between each potato. With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush tops of each crushed potato gen-erously with more olive oil.

sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, ground pepper and any herbs of your choice.

Bake in a 450° oven for 20–25 minutes until golden brown.

{ {Recipes submitted by Jo Nell Shaw, Secretary at the Whitley City branch office.

Spring 2012 • The HTC Highlander | 7

P.O. Box 119Sunbright, Tennessee 37872-0119

Sign up for Bank Draft and never forget!our free Bank draft service will automatically deduct your Htc payment from your checking account. this convenient service helps you avoid late payments, and there is no fee to enroll.

Enroll today!use the form to sign up for Bank draft. simply return the form with your payment, or bring it by the office to complete your enrollment.

sure,they neverforget…but they don’t have to remember to pay their bills…

Bank Draft = Simple Convenience

HIGHlanD telePHOne cOOPeratIve, Inc.automated Payment service authorization Form

I authorize Highland Telephone Cooperative, Inc. to automatically draft my checking account as noted below, for my monthly Highland Telephone Cooperative, Inc. charges. I understand that this automatic draft will continue to recur each month for the amount of my bill. I may revoke the Automated Payment authorization at any time with thirty (30) days written notice to Highland Telephone Cooperative, Inc. at the address identified below. I also understand that I am responsible for ensuring that the necessary funds are available at the time the draft occurs. I will continue to be responsible for payment should anything prohibit regular payment in this manner.

Signature of Account Holder Date Please print: Account Name

Telephone Number

CHeCKing ACCount DRAftPlease attach a blank voided check in order to set up a checking account draft.

Your Bank’s Name

Your Bank’s Address

7840 MorGan countY HWY.P. o. Box 119sunBriGHt, tn 37872PHone 423/628-2121fax 423/628-2409