Even More Bandwidth!

Effective September 13, we were able to boost availabe bandwidth yet again. Our objective is to give our customers the best possible streaming experience. Note, however, that you may need to upgrade to a higher bandwidth plan, depending on the kind of streaming that you are doing.

TV Rebranding

Three TV channels are being rebranded during September:

More Internet Bandwidth!

Internet bandwidth demand has exploded over the past several months, mainly because of the availability of streaming options. Netflix alone is responsible for 30% of all Internet bandwidth! Where high Internet bandwidth demands in the past have always been for short periods occuring randomly, our system has always been able to handle bandwidth demands except for rare occasions because those demands don't normally take place at the same time. The advent of streaming, however, has changed that because streaming demands full bandwidth for hours at a time, Our present system has frequently been unable to cope with this rapidly rising demand.

Our new CMTS router has eight times the downstream capacity of our old unit, and can be expanded even more with the purchase of a second line card. We monitor Internet traffic rates constantly and will be making further adjustments if necessary.

TV Programming Changes

The adjustments to our TV lineup listed below are included in the Winter 2010 cable lineup sheets and are available for download. Select among the four versions in the left-hand column.

KTSF, QVC, and ShopNBC

The signal of KTSF, San Francisco 26, suddenly failed last Spring and attempts to replace antennas and contact KTSF Engineering did not solve the problem. We finally gave up on attempts to receive the signal off-air and are not getting KTSF programming from satellite. You will find it on Channel 67.

QVC Shopping, which was on Channel 67, has been moved to Channel 391. Both QVC and ShopNBC (Channel 393) are now on Digital Basic, which means that they are included in our Expanded TV package but require a cable box or CableCARD. If the shopping channels are important to you, please contact us for a cable box.

Lifetime HD

Lifetime has been added to our HD Pak lineup. Tune to Channel 533 on your Cable Box or TiVo HD.

Fox Business News

The Fox Business Channel is now available on Channel 427 in our Digital Basic package. It is therefore accessible to all Expanded TV customers who have a cable box at no extra chanrge.

Circulating E-Mailed Jokes: Not Funny Anymore

Many of our customers enjoy circulating jokes, anecdotes, and even invitations, family announcements, and other items to lists of friends and colleagues. This practice is rapidly becoming outlawed, no matter how innocent the content.

While we have no filtering to prevent these messages within our own system, if your mail list includes ISP's like AOL, YAHOO, GMAIL, COMCAST, and others, the following things will probably happen:

• The message will not be delivered.
• The ISP in question may decide that our mail server is a "spammer/abuser" and all mail from our customers will be blocked from sending any email at all to any of their subscribers.
• In the case of AOL addresses, we are notified when such messages are rejected. That's a good thing, because it let us know that these messages have entered the Internet and we can notify you when an e-mail sent to a list is deemed "abuse."

The death of personal email lists is the result of increasing spam levels and the fact that most of the big ISP's are taking aggressive action to reduce spam through their networks. Also, customers don't enjoy receiving spam and they complain to their ISP. Some customers receive well-intended "joke" email and no longer wish to receive it but, not wishing to offend the email sender, they will often block or complain about it rather than politely ask the sender to be dropped from the list.

The rule that has gradually taken over the Internet is this: If you are sending mail to a list, you are regarded as a spammer. Period. You email need not contain any objectionable material or advertising and can be completely innocent in its intent. The only way mail of this sort can be sent is from a third-party that can ensure that all such mail strictly conforms to the CAN-SPAM act. That means that the mail must have an automatic method for opting out of the list and many other provisions. Because a typical mail program cannot prepare email that conforms to the CAN-SPAM act, the only way that an individual can send mail to multiple people is to address the mail individually.

How many addressees constitute a "list"? That varies among ISP's and is likely to change from time to time. Hopefully you can have one or two CC's or BCC's without your message being deemed "abuse."

Businesses and individuals who want to continue this practice and are willing to pay for it can find such services as constantcontact.com who will manage their list and send mail in a manner that conforms to the CAN-SPAM act.

If you receive home-generated circulated e-mail, that's okay. The problem is when you send it on. And if you are annoyed by circulated mail from friends, please ask them to take you off their list.

Do We Have Your Email Address?

At the request of many customers, we are now emailing notices of scheduled service notices and other announcements that affect our customers. Many, however, have not notified us when they have changed their e-mail address.

If you reside in our service area and wish to be notified of system updates or scheduled outages and other important changes in your service, please send email to support@lucasvalley.net and I'll add you to the list. Once you are on the list, you can opt out at any time.

Cooking Channel and DIY Now Available in Digital Form

First of all, Fine Living has been renamed and reformatted -- it is now Cooking Channel.

All users of the new (DCT or DCH) cable boxes or CableCARDs may now receive Cooking Channel on 388 and Do It Yourself on 389. These are the latest additions to our twenty-six digital simulcast channels in the 302 to 482 range. These two services continue to be available on their analog channels for those without cable boxes. The updated lineup downloads at the left have all been updated to show these changes.

Versus Moving to Analog

Expanded TV subscribers will be pleased to see this popular sports channel, now available only to Digital Varieity Pak subscribers, moved to that tier soon. Versus has required us make this change so that they can implement blackout rules when necessary. We will need to remove one analog channel in the 23 to 80 range to make room, preferably one of the 26 channels also available in digital form so cable box users will still be able to continuye to view the displaced channel. We are open to opinions on what analog channel to give up. Contact LVC's support with your comments (support@lucasvalley.net or 259-5856).

LVC Digital TV: Are You Watching the Right Channel Number?

26 of our most popular analog channels are also available in digital form. We strongly advise tuning to the channel number that gives you best results. Use your Favorite Channels list (Motorola cable boxes) or TiVo Channel List to turn off the versions of lesser quality.

Here are some examples:

• USA Network: Appears as analog on Ch 24, but is also available in digital form on Channel 301 and in high-definition on Channel 520. Channel 301 is visible on all of the newer cable boxes (not the DSR470) without any special subscription. To watch Channel 520, the Digital Variety Pak and HD Pak are required along with one of our high-definition cable boxes or the TiVo HD.
• C-SPAN: Available in Analog on Channdl 53, but a digital version is available on Channel 425 (cable box required, but no special subscription). Customers without a high-definition TV can enjoy this channel with our inexpensive DCT2200 cable box ($3.99/mo).

In total, 26 of the analog cable channels are available in digital form, 18 of of which are also available in high-definition. Download our channel list for the full list of options.

Rate Reductions

If you combine your TV and Internet service with our voice service you can save big bucks! Not only is our digital phone service much cheaper than most AT&T bills, but we'll give you a break on your Internet charges for having all three of our services. Check out the new Internet rate schedule.

Want to save even more? Add the Max Pak or Max Pak HD and get all of our premium and HD TV packages.

Lineup Wizard

Confused by all our TV options? Our new lineup page lets you pick different combinations, calculates the monthly rate, and displays or prints a lineup showing only those packages that you pick.

HD Pak and Starz! HD

Starz! HD is now available to all subscribers to the Starz!/Encore Pak.

Our new HD Pak now has grown to 18 channels. More are on the way. Only $4.99/month!

LV Digital Phone Service

Many have asked us to provide telephone service along with our Internet plans, and we have been listening. The new service, which began in January, 2009, provides unlimited calling in the US and Canada for one low price and very low rates for International calls. We have customized our Internet plans to provide superior call quality and have a long list of standard features that come free with the new service, which will be billed at a flat rate of only $27.99 per month. See our new Digital Phone page for details.

Wireless Upgrade -- You May Qualify for a Free Wireless Router!

There has been enormous interest in wireless laptops recently. Lucas Valley Cable has various options to give you the wireless performance that you need.

When you order a wireless upgrade from Lucas Valley Cable,

1. We will begin with a site survey to see what neighboring access points might cause you interference problems and will select the best channel for your system.
2. We will help you decide on the best wireless solution considering your coverage area (wireless router or separate wireless access point).
3. We will install and set up your system with an appropriate encryption method to protect your privacy.
4. We will replace any failed router or access point that we install as long as you continue your service.
5. We will maintain your wireless connectivity if you should start to experience interference problems after installation ($4/month optional add-on).

If you are presently using our Legacy or Basic plan, an upgrade to our Plus Internet plan or higher entitles you to a free wireless router. There is no special installation charge for wireless upgrades that can be accomplished by adding a router. If we recommend a separate access point and you agree with that recommendation, we will provide both the access point and a power-over-ethernet kit for a combined cost of $129 plus tax (wiring to the access point is extra if required).

Please give us a call at 259-5856 or email support@lucasvalley.net if you would like to discuss a wireless upgrade.

Save with Digital Premiums

No matter what kind of TV that you may have, the new digital premiums can save you money.

Customers who have updated to digital premiums are paying $5 less than those who are still using old HBO, Show time and TMC (Channels 14, 16, 18, and 20). Of course you need a set-top box to receive the digital premiums, but the monthly savings for just these three premiums go a long way toward the rental of one set-top box.

Now consider the other advantages that the set-top box brings to those who have updated to digital premiums:

• Premium channels have much clearer picture and sound. Analog premiums use a scrambling method that removes most of the detail from the picture--a problem that digital premiums solve.
• Access to the digital versions of 22 of our analog channels.
• More premium choices. Rather than just one Showtime channel, you get 11 showtime channels, for example.
• A program guide that tells you what's on each channel on the system-- plus a synopsis of each program. And the program guide works for all your channels! Not just the premiums.
• Free access to the 37 commercial-free digital music channels that are on the cable.
• The ability to add the Digital Variety Pak for an additional $11.99/mo (44 digital-quality channels).
• The ability to add the HD Pak for an additional $4.99/mo (22 HD channels -- Digital Varieity Pak required).
• An analog tuner that can extend the range of old TV sets not capable of tuning to channel 90 and above.

Savings are even greater for those taking advantage of our Max Pak, which includes all premiums plus the Variety Pak for a single price of $52/mo ($83/mo total when including the required Expanded TV service).

Not Using an E-Mail Account?

In the event that you abandon an active e-mail account, please let us know so we can disable it.

Abandoned accounts still receive mail, creating a significant load on our server. This is especially problematic when the in box for the account become full and the server is forced to deal with bounced messages and re-try attempts.

When we see evidence that an account has been abandoned (failure to pick up mail for an extended period of time), we may disable it. To re-activate a disabled account, just let us know and we will do so. Likewise, if you plan to be away for an extended time and do not plan to pick up mail, please let us know so we can avoid disabling the account.