Another Newsletter; Table Of Contents: 0) Phoneline Chaos 1) Upgrades about to happen 2) ISDN? 56k modems? 3) Account Changes 4) MIS CDROMs 5) MIS Coffee Mugs 6) Referral Coupons (They're back!) 0) Phoneline Chaos Many people have noticed that there have been lots of no-answers or busies or fast busies during the month of January. Most of these were due to serious Nynex trouble with their switching equipment; That was fixed in mid-January after much pestering of Nynex. As a long term solutions, we are making a MAJOR installation in Rockland to increase our number of incoming modem lines, and have less dependence on Owls Head. This will greatly increase reliability and availability. In the last week, honestly, there have simply been busies. We absolutely hate it when customers get busy signals. (We take it more seriously than most of our customers) For this reason, we have been planning some major long term upgrades which didn't come quite in time. You can be assured that they will be worth the wait! 1) Upgrades about to happen You might have read that we are making a major dialin POP (Point of Presence) in Rockland. The primary purpose is to make more lines available for modem dialin. We are signing up an increasing number of new customers, and this new dialin number expansion should happen at just the right time. Our goal is to have it completely operational by the beginning of February. A site on Main Street in Rockland, was chosen due to it's close proximity to the Nynex central office. There, we will be putting in a T1 connection, 70 dialin modem lines, and 15 ISDN lines. Nynex has installed a 200-pair cable, so that we will have plenty of room for expansion. We will maintain the old number, and post the new number on the www.midcoast.com webpage when the lines are available. The modem lines will have all 33.6 modems of the very highest quality (USR Total Control equipment), and the ISDN lines will be used to provide ISDN and to experiment with the new 56k technologies on the horizon. 2) ISDN? 56k modems? We wrote up a big document regarding our plans for ISDN and 56k modems. Visit http://www.midcoast.com/mis/isdn.html for the whole story. Here is a quick synopsis: At the end of January, we will have ISDN lines installed in Rockland, as part of the big upgrade. This means that we will be the only ISP around that is ready to offer ISDN services to customers. There are many benefits to ISDN. It gives you a second phone line, allow 56-128k connections, and requires no modem negotiation. ISDN will allow us to provide 56k modem service, such as USR X2, when that technology begins shipping to ISPs. ISDN will be available immediately, but X2 will not be available until perhaps March, when USR begins shipping the access products we need. Please visit the webpage listed above for the whole story, and for important info regarding availability in your town. 3) Account Changes On March 1, all the power users ($30/month 100hr accounts) will get a free second email address. (A $5 value) We think this is good for the customer because a large number of the power user account holders are families or businesses which could make good use of a second email address. If you are currently paying for a second email address on your power user account, let us know on or about March 1, so we can offer it as free. All signups for this free service and important setup information will be done online, and web-based materials will be provided to help you with the process of getting a second email address. On a topic of popular discussion, we are more certain than ever before that "unlimited" service is not a wise move. You've probably heard about the logjam it caused for AOL recently. In some places, it is so bad, that unhappy surfers are suing because they can't use what they are paying for. It is going to hurt AOL more than it will help them. Such is the fate of many providers that promise unlimited access and put up with the abuse it causes. Midcoast Internet Solutions has determined that 98% of internet users' needs can be satisfied with either our basic or power user plans. Ask yourself if you really have unlimited time to spend on the computer. It is a Marketing Gimick. 100 hours a month on the internet requires a major lifestyle adjustment. 30 hours is more than enough for most at the current time. Being on the net for more than 100 hours a month might make you a bachelor or a widow! 4) MIS CDROMs Soon, we will have completed a CDROM with all the installation software needed, as well as the Internet Explorer version 3 series software. This will make it easier than ever to connect new customers to the internet. Customers want a convenient and cost effective way to get the computer software setup for the internet, and Microsoft is helping Internet Service Providers, such as Midcoast Internet Solutions, to meet that need. 5) MIS Coffee Mugs Kay Landry created the winning design for our contest. She will receive a year's basic internet service as a prize, as well as a mug, when they are completed. All participants will receive a mug, as we are thankful for the competitive number of contest entries. When the mugs are ready, we will let everyone know. 6) Referral Coupons On our homepage, you may have noticed a link, www.midcoast.com/mis/referral.html, that has a new referral policy on it. About a year ago we had a very popular referral program, but had to stop it because it was poorly designed and confusing. We have thought it out, added an exciting new twist, and brought it back better than ever! Print out a copy or copies of this coupon, fill out your information, and give it to a friend. When they sign up, you will get a $5 credit (thank you), and your friend will get a $5 credit to their new account also. It works great for everyone. Visit the page for the coupon to print out, as well as complete rules. As in many quality organizations, word of mouth is the best advertising for Midcoast Internet Solutions. This coupon is our way of thanking you for a service you would do for us anyway. Thank you for reading this long letter. We will keep you posted! -Jason /* Jason Philbrook | Midcoast Internet Solutions jp@midcoast.com | Internet Access, LAN, WAN, and Linux www.midcoast.com/jp/ | Service and Consulting for Midcoast Maine */