Winning E-Story Submitted by: Carrie Higgins

We've had DSL for almost a year. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much it has improved out lives. I have been able to advertise my husband's business from home, with great success! I am able to communicate with family that live further away much more conveniently.

We've even been able to save money finding deals online! It's been a wonderful investment. Thank you for the positive experience and great customer service.

Carrie Higgins 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.htm 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 High-Speed Internet account.

Thanks for Taking Part in Customer Survey - and Congratulations!

NATCO Tech thanks each of you who completed a customer survey by the Sept. 30 deadline. By completing the survey, you help us improve our services to all NATCO customers.

We congratulate four participants whose names were chosen for a prize at random after submitting their surveys and names. Billy Packer, Cheryl Frantesl, and Leon Kaminski each received a $25 gift card from El Chico Cafe' of Mountain Home, and Sandra Heston received one free month of Internet service. Thanks again and congratulations for being a winner!

E-mail is Not the Place for Personal Information

As more people use email, it is crucial to protect personal information from disclosure to unauthorized parties. This pre-holiday season may be a good time to review with your family how to carefully use e-mail to avoid becoming a victim of scams and identify theft.

NATCO Tech reminds you that there are secure websites for doing business with companies where you are a customer. With these businesses, you may confidentially correspond about your accounts through a secure website, but not in email. The secure websites will have the letter "s" after the "http" part of the web address and a valid SSL Certificate.

At the same time, scam operators are constantly busy trying to use email to steal personal information. Beware of scams known as phishing (pronounced as fishing). Look for the following:

• Emails that sound threatening and urgent. They may say your account must be “updated" or you must "verify" your information or the account will be "suspended." Don’t become alarmed and follow their instructions. NATCO Technologies and other legitimate businesses won’t use email messages to discuss account numbers and other personal info.
  
• Emails that contain a misleading link to a "spoof" website where they will seek your personal information. Read the links very carefully – trying to spot any misspelling or sound-alike company name. Do not click on any suspicious link.
  
• E-mails that have obvious errors in spelling and grammar. These are common in phishing schemes and are red flags for a scam because many originate outside of the USA.

Want to Check on Vista Compatibility?

Apparently due to the frequent questions about Microsoft's Vista operating system and its compatibility with other hardware and software, there is a new online source of checking out your compatibility issues. It is Microsoft's Windows Vista Compatibility Center website.

Customer Appreciation Prize Winners

Thank you for being a NATCO customer AND for taking part in the NATCO Customer Appreciation Day on October 16. We're glad to provide high quality telephone, Internet, and satellite services to you. Congratulations to winners in the customer prize drawings.

• Dual handset cordless phones - Andy Lewis, Lonnie Woods


• Digital picture frame - Karin Schade, James Wisnieski


• Big button phone - Carol Charleville


• Computer bag - Sheila Middleton, Kathy Wegener


• $25 NATCO Gift Certificate - Brenda Crandall, David Skelton, Mollie Cooke


• $25 El Chico Café Gift Card - Mary Ann Rose, John Kenchel

More Bandwidth, Higher Speeds for NATCO

A changeover in technology at NATCO will mean high-speed Internet at speeds up to 10 Mb/s for customers. The three-month installation period is underway. Technology from Occam Networks uses Ethernet and Internet Protocol to provide everything from a basic telephone to high speed Internet and video services to the home.

Individual customers in the NATCO service area in Marion and Boone Counties are seeing the improvements in service as soon as their cutover to the new system is done. Other benefits are greater service reliability, quicker offering of new services in the future, and potential extension of fiber optic cable to each customer's premise. NATCO V.P. Steven G. Sanders Jr. said about this project, "We are committed to rapidly upgrading our networks."

Lake Norfork Shoreline Chosen for Trails Project - David's Trail

Are you interested in being outside in the Ozarks for recreational and physical fitness activities? A new system of trails is in the works around Lake Norfork and will be developed with the help of many volunteers from throughout the region. It will be known as David's Trail in honor of the late David Floyd, a Mountain Home businessman and community leader.

An extensive website about the project is now online with more information and details about how to get involved. Additional information will be also available around October 30. Take a look at the news about this project here.

Visitor Center Marking Second Year

The James A. Gaston Visitor Center opened two years ago this month and also serves as the park headquarters for Bull Shoals-White River State Park.

What has it meant to the area? It attracted 89,691 from all 50 states and 22 countries the first year.

After the first full year, a park staff member gave this perspective: "It is amazing what one building can do! Our new Visitor Center has created a location for us to interact with the community. Its highly visible location and grandeur have attracted interest from a variety of community organizations. It has also provided the park with much needed space to excite and inspire visitors to explore the Ozarks."

Nearly 3,000 students came from 10 school districts in the 2007-08 year; almost 5,000 persons attended park interpretive programs about the land, environment, animals, and plants of the area. Eagle Awareness Weekend had a great new setting at the Visitor Center; a butterfly garden was built at the Visitor Center entrance by 10 Master Gardeners with 285 students helping. Volunteers led interpretive programs like Fly Fishing 101, Trout Fishing Basics, Hydroelectricity, and Bears, Snakes, Mountain Lions, or Elk.

Gaston Visitor Center is financed by the Arkansas Conservation tax, a 1/8 of 1 percent sales tax adopted by the people of Arkansas in 1996 as Constitutional Amendment 75. Jim Gaston is owner of Gaston's White River Resort and emeritus member of the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation, and Travel Commission.

For more information, call park headquarters, (870) 445-3629. Winter hours of 8 - 5 daily begin November 1. Other seasons, hours are 7 – 7 daily. The Visitor Center is open every day except major national holidays: Thanksgiving Day, half of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

NATCO Portal Page Answers Your Needs

As you get ready to take part in next month's General Election, enjoy access to local, state, or national news with just one click by using the NATCO Portal Page. We've heard from many people in the area who are very satisfied with this portal page that meets their needs – local weather, local movie listings, access to your own e-mail, quick access to online NATCO bill payment, and much more. You can tailor the features to your needs, and even add your own personal calendar.

To get started, go to my.natcotech.com. Click on Register My Account. Then, you will receive a link to your new portal page by email.

Protecting Your Rights to Privacy and Security

In January 2008, NATCO and other companies nationwide began following new Federal Communications Commission safeguards concerning your account information - Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI). Customers and companies like ours are all adjusting to these new safeguards.

A major change is that you, as a customer, must set up a password on your account before a NATCO Customer Service Representative can release any account information to you over the telephone. Sometimes, this is inconvenient, but hopefully does safeguard against releasing your private account information to anyone who is not authorized by you and doesn't have the password. This password must be used each time you contact our office.

When you call us to set up a password, you must call in from your home telephone only. When we call you back, we must call you at your home telephone number. These efforts are to confirm that you are associated with a certain account. Alternatives are for us to mail or e-mail the requested information to the address we have on file for your account which allows you to call in (with your pin #) and set up your password. Of course, you're always welcome to come into the office to set up a password for your account. If you do stop by the office, you must present a picture ID to set up a password.

If you need to set up your password or have any questions about CPNI, just call us toll free (800-775-6682) and speak to the Customer Service Department.

Acceptable Use Policy Online

NATCO Technologies has an Acceptable Use Policy for our Internet services customers. It outlines your responsibilities as a user and the company’s expectations and requirements as a provider.

From time to time, NATCO Technologies may make changes to the policy and revise the policy online. We encourage you to take a few minutes to read the Acceptable Use Policy.

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.

Robert Hopkins is this month's winner of a South Shore souvenir. Congratulations, Robert Hopkins.

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.