I normally do not send out a newsletter until the end of the year, but felt there was enough news to justify getting this out earlier. We have a number of updates on service coverage, speed, and some technical tips that I felt I should share with you all.
Hardware & Dataline Upgrades
We will be performing hardware upgrades on practically every tower this spring and summer to provide a backup link to the primary towers or replace the existing backhaul. This will help reliability and increase throughput for each of them. This is to prepare for the new dataline we have getting in place by May 15th. This will bring our current 4.5MB line up to a 6.0MB line. This line will be installed at the new Bates Headend and will eliminate the Caspian Headend line. We also intend to add an additional dataline to our secondary provider and replace the current 3.0MB line with a 4.5MB line. We expect to do that this fall. This will bring total bandwidth to 10.5MB. These upgrades may require some short downtimes. I will try to notify you about these beforehand.
Coverage
We hope to have the Swan Lake Tower operational by mid-May. This will cover a good stretch south of Amasa and even hit parts of Crystal Falls. There is a possibility we may be putting a tower out by Golden Lake if there is enough interest generated. If so, that would probably happen in the July-August timeframe. We are waiting for a new technology to come out with our current hardware provider that could make the Beechwood Tower still possible. Coverage maps can be viewed at http://www.fast-air.net/coverage.html or see them under the Services menu.

Spam - Still Hard to Swallow
Our mail provider had said they would have a new spam filter in place by end of Q1. As you probably have noticed, this did not happen. Their reason was they found this solution could not handle all the email accounts they have, so they have to look for another solution. I am sorry this timeline was not met. I will notify you as I hear more.

The new Vista mail does a better job with filtering spam and Outlook (not Outlook Express) also has the ability to create rules to automatically delete spam. Look at the support site link here http://fast-air.net/trb-4.htm or find it under the Help and Support menu then Troubleshooting & Tips under the Redirecting SPAM to a separate folder link.

Another option is to utilize an anti-spam tool. A number of customers are utilizing Spamfighter. This is a free tool that works very good with Outlook and Outlook Express. It does put a tag at the end of your email for free advertising. The tag is removed if you purchase the software.

Lightning & Power Surge Protection
Lightning storms have already hit us and caused a number of outages for customers. The primary result has been damage to their network card or router due to spikes coming through the power line. It is important to remember that surge protectors are ONLY good for one strike. After that they are no more than a power strip. The better surge protectors have a light on them to signify they are still good. An even better solution is a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply). These units have better surge protection and backup power in the event of a power outage. These typically run about $40 and up, but do withstand multiple spikes. I use these on all my computers and network equipment and can not remember the last time I had a problem with any hardware.
Keeping Your Connection at Top Speed
We have done more extensive testing on the new AVG SPYWARE program that was formerly Ewido spyware remover. After this testing, we find it does not do as thorough a job as Ad Aware and Spybot. Therefore we recommend you continue to use these two programs at least once a month to keep your connection at top speed. Note: We still recommend AVG Anti-Virus for anti-virus protection.

We have found that Mozilla Firefox significantly reduces the amount of spyware that gets on your computer. We strongly recommend using this browser over Internet Explorer. You can download this from our website or at this link - Firefox

I must continue to emphasize the importance of disabling file sharing when using downloaders. When I encounter users with this functionality enable, I will send a reminder/warning. If this does not resolve the problem, I will then issue a second warning and turn their speed down significantly. A third instance will result in termination of their account. You can find instructions on disabling file sharing at the Setting up downloaders link under the Troubleshooting & Tips.

For more information on how to keep your internet speed up, go to the link Maintaining your Internet Connection Speed or find it under the Help & Support menu and then Troubleshooting & Tips.
Glossary
We have added a glossary to help the less computer-literate customers understand some of the terms in computing and networking. It can be found under the Resources menu. This is a glossary I found on the Internet that extensively covers most terms. I hope this helps.
Customer Appreciation
We continue to give out referral credits. We have also selected 3 winners so far for the monthly drawing in 2007. You can see the winners on our website 2007 Free Month Winners. I just want to thank you all for your continued patronage. I like giving back to my customers for their loyalty.

Your Feedback
I would appreciate your feedback. If you have had any issues, have any questions, any suggestions, or comments. please let me know. You can reply to this message, or use the contact us page on the Fast-Air website. 

Thank you for your patronage and getting the word out to the community on our Internet service. Feel free to forward this to others or refer them to the Newsletter link under the Company menu on the Fast-Air Web-site.

In closing, I would encourage you to check out the quote at the bottom of the Fast-Air website. I try hard to be a person who makes decisions based on facts. Please check it out and the link on the left of the site called America's Christian Heritage and decide where you want to stand.
Have a very Happy Easter, and a wonderful summer.

Mike