Above and Beyond – Frank Salgado, Sally Vaquera, & Orlando Ortiz

Spearman resident Cheryl Meek had been considering switching her TV service to someone other than PTCI. But Frank Salgado’s attitude and helpfulness won her over. She stayed with PTCI Digital TV service and is glad she did. Cheryl also recognizes Sally Vaquera and Orlando Ortiz as being equally helpful and appreciates all of them very much. Cheryl wanted PTCI to know what great employees we have, and she thinks our service is great as well.

 

With great service and great employees like Frank, Sally, and Orlando, why go anywhere else.

PTCI Completes Customer Survey

PTCI would like to thank all those customers who participated in our 2013 e-mail survey.  We received a lot of good information that will help pave the way through the coming year in the areas of customer service, service offerings and customer communication.  Over 90% of respondents rated PTCI Excellent/Good when compared to other utility companies and most said they are very likely to recommend PTCI to friends, family, and colleagues.  

 

PTCI is committed to providing you with the dependable communications and entertainment services you want, at prices you can afford.  We do listen to what you have to say, and we do our best to address all your needs.  Your input is very important.  If you have any questions, comments or concerns, call us at 1-800-562-2556 or log on to www.ptci.net and click on “Contact us.”  You can also stop by one of our stores located at 222 S. Amhurst, Perryton and 721 W. 7^th, Spearman.

FCC Demands Accountability From Long-Distance Providers for Rural Call Completion

FCC announced that Level 3 Communications, LLC, a telecommunications provider out of Colorado, will pay a voluntary $975,000 fine to the U.S. Treasury for not completing calls to rural communities.

This announcement is a positive development for rural consumers and their loved ones who have suffered the frustration or fear of a call not completing because of circumstances beyond their control. It also marks an important milestone in NTCA’s (a rural broadband organization of which PTCI is a member) two years-plus campaign to find a solution to this problem, which has included numerous meetings with FCC staff, several Capitol Hill briefings, call completion test projects conducted with our rural allies and a successful effort by Sen. Tim Johnson (D–S.D.) to seek swift action via a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski that won the support of more than 30 senators. Today’s action not only shows the commission intends to be serious about holding companies accountable for carrying out their fundamental duty as telecommunications providers; it also displays that the commission recognizes the threats persistent call failures pose to public safety and the general well-being of rural Americans.

NTCA hopes that this announcement is the first of many to come as the FCC seeks to send a message regarding the integrity and reliability of the nation’s telecommunications networks. With continued vigilance and the commission’s intervention, there may come a time when these kinds of actions are no longer needed. But we are certainly not there yet. Therefore, in the coming weeks and months we plan to continue holding discussions with commissioners and members of Congress to lead the way forward on this issue. We also plan to file formal comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking issued last month exploring new rules and data collection efforts to combat rural call failures on a systemic basis.

911 Cell Phone Bank and PTCI

For many of us, it's hard to imagine life without cell phones. But for some senior citizens and victims of domestic violence, cell phones are not always affordable. The 911 Cell Phone Bank provides free cell phones to people who need them most.

PTCI is proud to be a partner with the 911 Cell Phone Bank. The Cell Phone Bank was created to provide a source of emergency cell phones and funds to meet the needs of participating law enforcement and affiliated victim services agencies. The 911 Cell Phone Bank has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars and provided thousands of emergency cell phones for victim services organizations nationwide.

PTCI collects discarded cell phones from the community, boxes them up, and ships them to the 911 Cell Phone Bank. The phones are refurbished, cleared of their memory card and tested to ensure they can only make 911 calls. Phones that are deemed unusable are disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.  Local law enforcement can request the refurbished phones for seniors or domestic violence victims who can’t otherwise afford cell phones. The 911 Cell Phone Bank will provide monetary compensation to PTCI for each phone received. That compensation is used to fund various programs within the school systems in the PTCI service area.

If you’d like to donate a cell phone, you may bring it in to any PTCI office anytime. By donating your discarded cell phone you are doing more than just providing emergency communications for someone in need. You are also helping to provide funds that support our local schools.

For more information go to www.911cellphonebank.org.