RS Fiber

Spring Sun Outages to Begin Next Week

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Spring sun outages will begin as early as Thursday, March 3, 2022 and lasting through Tuesday, March 8, 2022. These short service interruptions occur each spring and fall when the sun is positioned directly in line with the ground-based satellite dish antennas used to receive CATV programming. The length of these signal interruptions will vary from between a minute or less to as long as 15 minutes between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Times will vary with the satellite being affected. Customers will see a blank colored or black screen on the affected channel(s).

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Our Top Tips For Staying Safe Online

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October is Cyber Security Month! Here are some of our top tips on keeping yourself, and your data, safe.

Set strong passwords
Use strong, unique passwords, or passphrases, for all your separate logins. Most experts recommend passwords contain between 12 and 15 characters that include numbers and special characters. Using individual passwords for different sites can help reduce your chances of being hacked.

Be cautious of links
Find out where a link is going before you click on it. Most links will show you the actual address they go to if you hover your mouse cursor over it, and if the link doesn’t look like it goes to what it should, don’t click it. Some phishing scams attempt to convince you that you’ve won a new laptop, lottery, or other great deal. If the website is unfamiliar or you don’t recognize who sent it to you, it’s best to avoid it.

Use anti-virus software
While it may seem basic, making sure you have anti-virus software installed and up to date helps protect against millions of viruses, malware, and other threats every year. Keeping all your software up to date also helps as most software updates include new features and protections designed to keep you safe against the latest security threats.

Install the HBC GigaHome app
RS Fiber’s network administrator, HBC, has made its WiFi management app available to RS Fiber customers, including ProtectIQ™ network security. ProtectIQ™ works to defend devices on your WiFi network by scanning all traffic that passes through your network. It blocks viruses, phishing, malware, and more before it even reaches your devices to give you even more peace of mind. The HBC GigaHome app is included with your GigaHome Blast router rental. Learn more at rsfiber.coop/internet

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Nationwide Phone Issues Continue

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A nationwide phone provider is experiencing issues affecting phone services across the country. While we are waiting for them to resolve the current issues we are also diligently working on a solution to route traffic away from this provider. There is no ETA for resolution.

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Semi-Final State Basketball Tournament Coverage on RS Fiber

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RS Fiber Video customers can tune in this week for all the action of the 2021 Minnesota State High School League Girls and Boys High School Basketball Tournaments this year with coverage provided by KSTC 45TV!

Customers can catch all the action on channel 6 in SD or 1006 in HD.  All games will be held at Target Center in Minneapolis. Class A girls semi-final action begins April 6th at 10:00 am. The boys semi-final rounds tip-off April 7th at 10:00 am. All games will also be available to view online at prep45.com.

You may click here to view the full tournament schedule.

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Boys and Girls High School Hockey Tournament Schedule

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We are happy to announce that we will be televising the 2021 High School Boys and Girls High School Hockey Tournaments this year!

You can watch all the games in SD on channel 6 and in HD on channel 1006. All games will also be available to view online at prep45.com. The games will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis and recorded by KSTC 45TV.

Please visit the MSHSL webpage to learn more about the schools participating and view the full tournament schedule.

Girls Tournament Schedule

Girls Class A Tournament

Semifinals Thursday, April 1st at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Championship Saturday, April 3rd at 11 a.m.

Girls Class AA Tournament

Semifinals Thursday, April 1st at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Championship Saturday, April 3rd at 1 p.m.

 

Boys Tournament Schedule

Boys Class A Tournament

Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 30th at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m.

Semifinals Friday, April 2nd at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Championship Saturday, April 3rd at 6 p.m.

Boys Class AA Tournament

Quarterfinals Tuesday, March 30th at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m.

Semifinals Friday, April 2nd at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Championship Saturday, April 3rd at 8 p.m.

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Spring Sun Outages Begin this Week

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Twice a year, the sun is positioned directly in line with the ground-based satellite antennas used to receive cable television programming causing intermittent programming outages. Starting March 1st through March 10th, you may experience outages that may last for less than a minute up to 15 minutes. Interruption periods typically occur between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, but will vary based on the satellite being affected.

 

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Sun Outages To Begin Next Week

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Twice each year, the sun is positioned directly in line with the ground-based satellite dish antennas used to receive CATV programing. This positioning causes programming interruptions as the sun’s energy overpowers the signals transmitted by the satellites.

Fall sun outages will begin as early as Saturday, October 3, and will last as long as through Tuesday, October 13. The length of the signal interruptions will begin at a minute or less, and lengthen to as long as 15 minutes at the peak of the interruptions. The interruption periods will be between the hours of 11:30 AM and 5 PM. Times will vary with the satellite being affected.

During these interruptions, customers will see a blank colored or black screen on the affected channel(s) .

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RS Fiber Announces Extension of the Keep Americans Connected Pledge

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Gaylord, MN – RS Fiber Cooperative (RSF) is taking additional measures to protect customers from losing essential broadband services by extending the Federal Communications Commission’s Keep Americans Connected Pledge.

“Many of our customers continue to endure significant financial challenges because of COVID-19,” RS Fiber General Manager Ben Ranft said. “RS Fiber understands that and is committed to helping our most financially vulnerable customers keep their services which have become even more essential in this pandemic environment because of online learning and working from home.”

Extension of the Keep Americans Connected Pledge means:

-Free broadband service to qualified low-income households. Eligible households must have school-aged children enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program or the Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP).

-Temporarily suspending disconnections of service due to failure to pay and waiving late fees for customers.

-Maintaining free access to RS Fiber Community Wi-Fi hotspots.

Since signing the initial FCC pledge in March, RS Fiber has worked with local school districts to make sure each student, their families, and teachers would have access to broadband for both education and working from home through its wired and wireless networks. RS Fiber continues to make its community Wi-Fi access points available free of charge.

Throughout this pandemic, RS Fiber Installation Technicians have been safely connecting and servicing customers while following strict safety protocols. All employees must pass a daily health screening which includes temperature checks, before being allowed to serve customers. Local RS Fiber offices are open by appointment only with customers being asked to answer several health-related questions prior to scheduling any appointment. These protocols will remain in place to protect our customers and employees and to help stop the spread of COVID-19. HBC is proud to report that these precautions have kept all employees healthy and virus free.

According to Ranft, RS Fiber will continue to implement these safety measures as long as they are needed.

“It is important that we do everything thing we can to be able to safely serve our customers and continue to provide them with the tools they need to be successful in both work and school,” Ranft said.

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RS Fiber Extends Keep Americans Connected Pledge Through June 30

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

05/03/2020

Winthrop, MN – RS Fiber has announced they are extending their FCC Keep Americans Connected pledge through June 30, 2020.    The Keep Americans Connected Pledge was made by more than 700 media companies who committed to support their residential and small business customers during the pandemic by waiving late fees and not terminating service because of an inability to pay.  The original pledge expired April 30th.

As an early adopter of the FCC pledge, RS Fiber made the decision to extend their pledge to its customers and small businesses to June 30th. In addition, RS Fiber will extend sign-ups for the Internet Assistance Program through June 30th to support students of low-income families.

This extension includes:

  • Free broadband service to low-income households. Eligible households must have school-aged children enrolled in the free or reduced lunch program or the Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP).
  • Maintaining free access to Community Wi-Fi Hotspots.
  • Temporarily suspending disconnections of service due to failure to pay and waiving late fees for customers.

While RS Fiber offices remain closed to walk-in traffic, our Customer Care and Technical Support teams are available to serve customers. Customers needing to meet with a Customer Care Representative in person may call (800) 628-1754 to set an appointment. Technical Support Services are available 24/7 by calling (800) 628-1754.

 

About us: RS Fiber Cooperative is a community driven effort to deliver a high-speed fiber-optic connection to Sibley County and portions of Renville, Nicollet, and McLeod Counties. The project has brought fiber-optic Internet, Video, and Phone services to ten cities and fixed wireless broadband to seventeen townships. The RS Fiber mission is: “To provide each and every customer with an exceptional service experience that you can only expect to receive from a local business, while providing you with access to the benefits of the most advanced fiber optic network in the US”

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Digital Survival in Self Isolation

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Daily life has changed drastically as a result of COVID-19. Our already digital-centric lives have become even more so. That’s why the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has called upon broadband service companies to commit to the Keep Americans Connected Pledge to reduce the risk of interruptions to broadband and telecom connectivity coast to coast during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I certainly agree with the designation of broadband service as essential to society. But I also know information overload can take a toll. To reduce that risk, I’m trying to be more mindful about my media consumption and would suggest others do, too.

I remind myself not to believe everything I read or hear. Rumors are being debunked daily about everything from which celebrity has contracted the virus to which home remedies protect against it. Choose outlets you trust to keep up on the latest safety guidance.

Online tools, like video conferencing, are a great way to stay connected. I urge you to use the technology available to stay connected with family and loved ones who are self-isolating in other places. With a little creativity, I have also worked to establish a routine. Bookmarking online resource lists, remote learning options, home workout routines and digital tours keeps me updated, entertained and engaged while avoiding getting sucked into ‘click bait’ that sensationalizes and misleads.

Wearing my work hat, I am focused on keeping our network running and I am proud of the company and all of our great employees for working to bring essential services to the homes, community support services, and businesses of our RS Fiber service area. You can visit our website (https://www.rsfiber.coop) if you would like to learn more about our efforts and assistance offerings.

I hope you and your families are staying safe, healthy and calmly connected.

Dan Pecarina

President

Hiawatha Broadband Communications (HBC)

RS Fiber Operations

 

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RS Fiber
PO BOX 326
Gaylord, MN 55334
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