The battle for net neutrality is on.

Now for those who aren’t really familiar with the term net neutrality, think of it as the basic rights Internet users have to access the Web. This means that Internet providers can’t favor certain websites over others and companies aren’t allowed to charge consumers a fee on popular sites.

Last month, the FCC voted to propose a new review of the rules, with the goal of loosening the regulations on the industry, which aims to slash Title II, the legal framework for net neutrality rules that protects online free speech and innovation.

The proposal also suggests repealing the “general conduct” rule that allows the FCC to investigate business practices of Internet providers that it suspects may be anti-competitive.

But with the new ruling, many of the Internet’s top companies are not in support of this move.

So far, tech giants such as Amazon, Etsy, Netflix and numerous others have all joined the fight—and are calling for a day of action.

Officially, July 12th will be deemed: Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality.

According to Battleforthenet.com: “The FCC wants to destroy net neutrality and give big cable companies control over what we see and do online. If they get their way, they’ll allow widespread throttling, blocking, censorship, and extra fees. On July 12th, the Internet will come together to stop them.”

At Race, this vote isn’t something we’re for. We believe the Internet is a freedom that has incredible power to change our daily lives. We feel that consumers should be able to visit any site that they choose and use the Internet freely. Whether you decide to stream Netflix or shop on Amazon, consumers should be able to stream without the fear of having their speeds throttled or blocked from visiting certain websites.

If you wish to sign up, learn more information or join the movement, visit: https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12/

 

 

 

If there are any residents out there who are frustrated with the ongoing internet issues in Phelan, we urge you send your emails of personal stories and concerns about this to CPUC  with the subject line of Resolution T-17525. The only catch, this email has to be in by 9am on Wednesday, June 21st to make sure the Commission can view the comments.

Please send your emails to:

President Picker - mp6@cpuc.ca.gov
Commissioner Randolph - lr1@cpuc.ca.gov
Commissioner Guzman Acevez - mga@cpuc.ca.gov
Commissioner Peterman - cap@cpuc.ca.gov
Commissioner Rechtschaffen - cr6@cpuc.ca.gov

Phelan – We had such an awesome time getting to know you over the past few days and exploring some of the great things you have to offer. Let’s just say the Pizza Factory was one of our favorites!

You may have heard that Race Communications was in the area and we sure were! We spent several days in your community trying to garner support for our “Gigafy Phelan” project and some of you were even kind enough to let us into your home to show us how you’re currently connecting.

We met some of you at the local Farmers’ Market where we got to hear your firsthand interactions and frustrations with your current Internet situation in the community and learning how it affects your individual households.

We met with some local business owners who expressed their daily challenges about not having adequate Internet to handle vital transactions for the survival of their business.

We also heard about the outages at the local institutions around town, paralyzing everyone in the area.

We even met with community leaders to see how we can together and fix this problem for residents.

Hearing those, countless stories of many Phelan residents using hotspots to “light” their household, but they’re still not providing you with crucial speeds. The average hotspot a has about 5-10Mbps, that’s a fraction of the FCC’s minimum broadband speed of 25Mbps per household. Not mention, we heard the endless stories of how much you are overpaying for this service.

After our short time with you all, we genuinely have a better understanding of how complicated connectivity is in your community and the lengths you are going to get the best service you can. Being on the ground level and learning what obstacles stand in your way, truly gave us an account of how dire and severe things are for YOU.

This is why we have spent the last two years battling  to bring our fiber optic products to the area. This application has been in process for two years and shouldn’t be delayed any further and potential new legislation shouldn’t be a determining factor.

Back in April, things took a turn when Frontier Communications submitted a challenge that would jeopardize Race Communications’ efforts in Phelan. Although their challenge was rejected by the CPUC this did not stop Frontier from trying to submit further comments to persuade the Commission’s vote.

Frontier has told the CPUC that they do in fact provide sufficient and adequate coverage to Phelan, but we all know this is not the case.

The CPUC is going to vote on our proposed project for Phelan this June 29 at 9am. There is still time to have your voice heard about this issue.

Phelan, we seriously thank you for allowing us to come into your community with such excitement and open arms. We look forward to a long-term future with you and our products. We just have to make sure the CPUC makes the decision!

Born in So-Cal, Scott Stevenson has become a jack-of-all-trades at Race Communications. As a Field Engineer, his days are never the same. Find out how Scott spends his days at Race.

How long have you worked at Race Communications?

I’ve been here for a little over two years.

What’s your official title?

I don’t know…let me look at my badge [laughs].  I am a Field Engineer at Race.

What exactly does that translate to?

Majority of installations, but a lot of the time, I could be digging in a ditch to help build a trench, or up on a pole attaching wiring. It’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades role.

What’s your day to day like?

My day-to-day could vary, it changes a lot. A lot of the time, I am driving to different locations. Or it could be splicing up on a telephone pole in the morning, and doing an install in the afternoon.

What initially drew you to work at Race?

It was such a good opportunity to work with fiber optic cable.

Do you like fiber optics? 

It’s the way of the future. I am so happy I can get my hands on it.

What three words would you use to describe Race?

Future, Dedication, and family.

What do you like most about your job?

The fact it’s not monotonous. It’s in a ditch one hour and talking to a customer the next. I get to experience new things because fiber optics is the way to of the future.

Bonus Question: Do you have a secret talent?

It’s not really a secret…but I ride bulls. I am a professional bull rider on the weekends!

 

The battle is on: Landline vs. Cellphone, which side are you on?

With the “Cord Cutting” movement becoming more powerful, more and more people are dropping their landlines and opting for a cellular device as their main communication device.

To date, about two out of five American households have disconnected their home phones and rely solely on cell service to stay in contact with the world.

In fact, a 2012 National Health Interview Survey found that 36 percent of American adults live in a home with wireless service, but no landlines.

There is an increase in popularity in both Smartphones and Voice over IP (VoIP), which allows users to communicate using a Wi-Fi connection instead of a wired phone line.

But should you consider keeping a landline?

While going wireless seems like a no-brainer, there are actually several good reasons to keep your landline. For starters, the landline isn’t as ancient a relic as you may think. A major advantage is many home-security systems actually require a landline. When your home security systems monitors your residence, there are special fire and burglary alarm sensors. If your home is without one, many companies will install a special device that communicates with their dispatch (via cellular connection), but you may incur an extra cost.

Also, cutting the traditional phone line means you may lose some extra security in case of emergency.

When you dial 911 from a cell phone, your phone uses a GPS method to report your location, in case you aren’t able to retrieve it yourself. Sounds awesome, right? But what if you’re in a building? Your cell phone does not have the precise ability to locate which floor you are on.

Although Cellphone GPS technology is getting better, emergency services still have to try and pinpoint your phone within ten to one hundred feet.

In all cases, your landline is connected to your address (including the apartment number) so the 911 operator will have your exact location in an emergency even if you can’t talk.

While Smartphone pack a number of great features that a landline lacks such as: surfing the Web, checking your email, and a built-in camera, your landline is still useable in a black out.

At Race, our fiber-based phone service is for the highest-quality for voice calls. Our basic plan is ideal for very low usage situations, while our full-featured unlimited plan is geared toward typical households. Since our phone service is a traditional landline and not VOIP, it is reliable even in a power outage.

If we haven’t convinced you yet that you need a home phone, give us a call today to speak with a member of our Sales team to help you figure out which home phone plan works for your household. Call us at 1-877-722-3833 or visit us at Race.com