Glasgow EPB Returns to Power Supply Contract with TVA - 1/9/2007

After just more than three years of in-depth study of the electric power marketplace, the Glasgow Electric Plant Board's Directors voted unanimously, in a Special Meeting on January 9, to notify TVA of its intention to rescind their notice canceling their contract for power purchases. This action came as a result of a series of disappointments in the EPB's search for a cheaper and more flexible supplier of wholesale electric power.

"We simply ran out of viable options," stated EPB Superintendent William Ray. In 2003 when the EPB first notified TVA of its intent to shop for a better deal, more low-cost options were available. There was an assumption that TVA would be forced to facilitate the EPB's search for alternatives by providing transmission services that would transport power from another vendor to the city of Glasgow. Fuel costs for peaking power were lower, and there was more power available on the grid. "Today we know that most of those criteria have changed," said Ray.

The EPB's decision was forced to a head by TVA's recent decision to charge the EPB very large "reintegration fees" if the utility did not agree to rescind their notice by January 10, 2007. Clearly the EPB felt that the risk of facing down these fees (which TVA estimated at more that $22 million) was just too great, especially in light of the diminishing value of the other options that were being explored.

"TVA's history of reliable service to Glasgow was never something that we wanted to abandon. But the wholesale rate structure employed by TVA for many years has frustrated our goal of lowering our customer bills by giving them an incentive for changing the way they use electric power," EPB Superintendent William Ray explained. "We will certainly continue to pursue that goal and it is hoped that TVA's new board and management structure will allow us to negotiate a rate that will allow this idea to unfold. We are happy to know that the people of Glasgow will continue to enjoy the reliable energy that TVA has been supplying for the last 45 years for us," the Superintendent explained.

The EPB will now return to their regular power contract with TVA. This contract will include all of the programs and benefits that were available before the utility notified TVA of its intention to leave in November 2003. "Our main goal with our electric power network now will be to find ways to upgrade our transmission system and our main substations to accommodate the growth we have been experiencing in Glasgow for the last several years. We had planned to pay for those necessary upgrades with the savings we anticipated from a new power supplier. Now we will have to come up with ways to make those improvements and finance them within the TVA wholesale environment. That will not be an easy task," Ray stated.

EPB Announces 1,000th Telephone Customer - 8/17/2005

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board's customers have enjoyed the benefits of effective competition for many years in cable TV service and Internet access. For the past year, the same is true for telephone service.

The EPB has provided telephone service for a year and they have recently installed their 1,000th customer. Mike and Martha Carol McCoy are the EPB's 1,000th customers. The Glasgow EPB and their phone partner, Cinergy Communications, marked this milestone with a celebration at the EPB Office on Tuesday, Aug. 16.

Mr. McCoy was very excited to find out he was the EPB's 1,000th customer. He was greeted on Tuesday afternoon by several employees of both Cinergy Communications and the EPB. He was presented with, appropriately enough, a new telephone.

The EPB's partnership with Cinergy Communications Corporation has proven to be very beneficial for area residents. Because of the local competition, their customers receive the gift of reliable service at very affordable rates, far below national averages for comparable services. For more information on the EPB's services, call their office at 651-8341 or email them at epb@glasgow-ky.com.

Shown in the photo are the EPB's Superintendent, Billy Ray, Mr. and Mrs. McCoy, and Roger Domina, Vice President of Customer Operations, Cinergy Communications.

EPB Announces Lower Rates for Small Businesses - 10/28/2004

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board is lowering electric rates for many small businesses. While the EPB’s power supplier, TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority),implemented a rate decrease to some of Glasgow's larger customers a year ago, smaller businesses got a rate increase. As a result, when comparing residential, commercial and industrial customers, the small commercial customers pay the highest average "per-kilowatt-hour" rate. The new lower rate is designed to give smaller business customers some of the same benefits that the largest customers already enjoy.

Commercial customers that will see their rates go down by about 3% (a refreshing change, since costs for most other goods and services are constantly rising) are commercial customers that use less than 15,000 kilowatt-hours per month and have a maximum monthly electric "demand" of less than 50 kilowatts. This new, 3% lower rate will affect about 1,500 of the EPB's 6,800 electric customers.

This rate decrease is made possible by the successes the Glasgow EPB has enjoyed over the last couple of years in cutting costs by spreading them across the variety of services offered by the EPB and the strong growth of energy, cable television, and high-speed Internet service sales. EPB Superintendent, William Ray, points out that

"since the EPB is a non-profit corporation owned by the people of Glasgow, when we experience growth in our income we start looking for ways to pass along that success to our customers, and this is one of those instances."

These rates will take effect for commercial customers with their next billing. At a time when small businesses are seeing their costs for employee health insurance, gasoline, and natural gas spiraling upward, the Glasgow EPB is proud to be able to offer some news to offset this trend.

Glasgow EPB Unveils Better Local Forecasts - 6/17/2004

Have you noticed a difference in Channel 29, The Weather Channel, on EPB cable TV? Recently, The Weather Channel sent a team of technicians to the Glasgow EPB to install the new IntelliStar™ System for our Glasgow and Barren County subscribers.

IntelliStar™ provides many enhancements to the Weather Channel’s well known “Local on the 8’s” forecast. There is also more information if severe weather is on the way.

The forecast is more detailed than ever before and includes what The Weather Channel calls “vocal local.” Now, you not only see the forecast onscreen, you hear it being read out loud. The weather radar is better than ever, too. If there is no rain or snow, the radar shows only for a very short time. However, if there is precipitation, the radar not only stays onscreen longer than before, it also zooms in to our local area and shows which direction the precipitation is moving.

Besides all of this, you will also see and hear Tornado Warnings, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Flash Flood Warnings when they are issued. An easy to read tornado icon lets you know at a glance when Barren County is under a Tornado Watch.

The Weather Channel and the Glasgow EPB are committed to constantly improving their services. The new IntelliStar System is just one of the specific ways that commitment shows.

These new, enhanced features are available only to viewers of the Glasgow EPB cable system. If you have any questions, please call the EPB at 651-8341.

EPB & Cinergy Communications to Bring Competitive Telephone Service to Our Community - 2/27/2004

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board is announcing that they have reached a final agreement with Cinergy Communications Company on a partnership which will bring competitive telephone service to Glasgow, Kentucky. The possibility of adding telephone service to the family of products already offered by the Glasgow EPB has been discussed for several months. At the regular meeting of the Glasgow Electric Plant Board on February 24, 2004, the Board unanimously decided to move forward with the project. John Cinelli, President of Cinergy Communications, made a detailed presentation on the telephone partnership proposed for Glasgow at the meeting. This presentation finally closed the deal on the negotiations which had been ongoing between he and Billy Ray, the EPB’s Superintendent, for about a year.

This decision was made based upon a number of factors. Ray stated,

"In today’s telecommunications market, everyone recognizes that consumers want a bundle of services from one provider. We feel we have a great opportunity to fill out our collection of products in partnership with an experienced telephone provider. This will bring new competition to Glasgow and Barren County by using our existing network. The real benefactor here will be the residents of our community."

The addition of telephone service will allow the EPB to offer the "triple play", cable, Internet and telephone. This bundle of services seems to be widely desired by most home and business owners today.

The relationship between the EPB and Cinergy Communications will be rather unique. Cinergy Communications will purchase all of the hardware and software necessary to add telephone service to the cable television and Internet services already provided over the EPB network. The EPB will simply provide signal transport on their network for the telephone service, customer service and marketing for the service, and will work with Cinergy Communications to have the billing added to the existing EPB billing system. As a result of this partnership, Glasgow and Barren County will get new low-cost options for telephone service and will be able to get information, order and change services, and pay their bills in the same convenient manner in which they already interact with the Glasgow EPB.

In John Cinelli’s presentation to the EPB, he predicted that the new telephone services would be available to Barren County residents within the EPB service area by late summer.

"We plan to have the equipment installed and ready for a 90-day testing period by the first week in May. After the initial installation we will work closely with the EPB staff to fine tune our equipment and their network so that we will be ready to start filling customer orders by late August, 2004", said Cinelli.

This latest project will, again, put Glasgow on the map as a leading provider of competitive telecommunications services.

"I don’t know for sure, but I think it is likely that Glasgow will be the only city on the planet with three different telephone companies vying for a relatively small group of customers", said Billy Ray, "our partnership with Cinergy Communications should make us a very significant player in the telephone market".

About Cinergy Communications
Cinergy Communications offers local telephone service, long distance calling, Internet access, and Web hosting to meet the needs of business and residential customers in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Cinergy Communications has had a 30-year history of innovation as the first to offer an alternative to AT&T long distance service in Western Kentucky, as the first ISP in Southern Indiana, and as one of the first in its region to market an alternative to Ameritech and BellSouth. Additional information can be found at www.cinergycom.com. Cinergy Communications is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Q-Comm Corporation. Although Cinergy Corp. has licensed the use of its name to Q-Comm, it has no management oversight, control, or responsibility for Cinergy Communications.

EPB to Shop Around for Better Deal on Electric Power for Glasgow - 12/2/2003

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board has joined other Kentucky utilities in announcing that they will be shopping for a new wholesale electric power provider. The possibility of purchasing Glasgow’s power elsewhere has been raised with a letter of intent that has just been sent to TVA. Glasgow’s local public power utility, the Glasgow EPB, has exclusively distributed TVA power since its beginning in 1962. TVA sells power to 157 utilities, with Glasgow being one of 17 TVA distributors in Kentucky. Billy Ray, the EPB’s Superintendent, has written a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority, notifying them that the Electric Plant Board is exercising its option to end its power contract with them on December 1, 2008 (a five-year notice is required under the terms of the current power contract).

This decision was made based upon a number of factors. Ray stated, “We’ve been considering this for some time. Even though Glasgow’s rates are among the lowest in the nation, the time has come to consider whether other wholesale power sources might be better for Glasgow’s long-term future. TVA’s management over the last few years has led them away from their original mission to democratize electric power in order to improve the lot of all people of the region and have instead begun to mimic the for-profit utilities by giving the very best deals to the largest and richest companies. If TVA is going to be just another power supplier, it only makes sense for us to go shopping and compare their prices with their ever-so-similar competitors. Over the next five years, we intend to leave no stone unturned in our effort to continue the democratization of electric power in the same fashion that we have with the cable television and high speed Internet marketplace.”

After lengthy discussion at the director’s meeting Tuesday, Nov. 25, the EPB’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to take this action. Robert A. Lessenberry, Chairman of the EPB’s Board of Directors observed, “This will give us the option to consider, over the coming five years, what direction is in the best interest of Glasgow, knowing today that Bowling Green Municipal Utilities and Warren Rural Electric Cooperative have chosen to do the same thing and both have already notified TVA of their decision to sever their ties to TVA in five years. In the meantime, if a more advantageous supplier of electricity surfaces, or if TVA policy becomes more customer-oriented, the board can then better judge the best course for our future.”

Just because TVA has been given this notification by Glasgow’s utility, it does not mean that Glasgow will not continue to buy its power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, only that it has the opportunity to shop around. “We’ve had a long, close relationship with TVA, but our allegiance is to our customers. This letter simply gives us the opportunity to look for new ways to do what’s best for the people that we serve,” Ray stated. “Our customers expect reliable electric service from our team. This doesn’t change that a bit. We just want to see if there are ways to give them an even lower electric bill.”

Glasgow EPB Delivers $318,000 to Local Agencies in 2002 - 12/27/2002

At a time when dismal revenue shortfalls by the state and a slowing economy is presenting daunting challenges for local schools, libraries and governments, the Glasgow EPB is increasing its payments to those local agencies by about $82,000 to just over $318,000. These payments come in the form of tax equivalency payments based upon the value of the facilities owned and operated by the EPB.

This new money for local agencies is important, but the larger impact of the EPB on the local economy is from the extremely low rates it charges for its services. The EPB rates for electric power, cable television, and high speed Internet service, taken together, average about $36 per month lower than the average charge for the same services elsewhere in the United States. Carrying out the math, the EPB has thus saved the people of Glasgow and Barren County about $432 per household in 2002 which amounts to over $3.3 million saved by the EPB customers in Barren County for the year. Since the beginning of the EPB’s cable project in 1988, a conservative estimate of the money the EPB has saved its customers is over $30 million. This staggering number will continue to grow each year.

The Glasgow EPB is a municipally owned utility which is wholly owned and operated by the City of Glasgow. This year’s tax equivalent payments by the EPB are much larger, due mainly to the recent acquisition and upgrading of the cable plant formerly owned and operated by Comcast Cable. The $5 million project to purchase and upgrade the plant has been an ongoing project for the EPB for the last 18 months. During 2002, the full impact of this plant addition hit the books and brought these considerable increases in funding to local agencies.

Glasgow EPB Cable TV System Now Completely Rebuilt and Upgraded - 10/18/2002

The residents of Glasgow and Barren County have had cable TV service in one form or another since 1969. In order to receive more than 4 or 5 channels, cable TV for this area was a necessity, because of our distance from larger cities such as Louisville or Nashville. Work just completed by the Glasgow EPB has provided both city and county residents with a greater variety of channels and a clearer picture than they’ve ever had before.

Delivery of new equipment and recent wet weather slowed the process of changing all of the old wiring and equipment over to the new rebuilt system. Customers should see an immediate difference in their picture quality when they switch to the new network. This should not be surprising, since some of the wiring and equipment was over 25 years old.

Mike Pedigo is the EPB’s Communications Foreman. He has been in charge of getting the “changeover” completed. “Where we’ve already been, people have been tickled to death with how it looks. They’ll stop us at our trucks where we’re working out in the county and tell us they can’t wait because they’ve already seen what their neighbor’s TV’s look like now.”

In addition to a better picture on all TV’s, there’s another advantage to all the construction -- greater reliability. Mike continues, “Better service, the picture quality is better, and we’ve got fewer trouble tickets in the areas where we’ve already been.”

The only downside to the “changeover” is a new channel lineup to get used to. Many of your favorite channels will be at a different number than you’re used to, but they’re still there. Also, the lowest channel number is channel 6. That’s where all the local events are replayed, such as Small Claims Court and the upcoming Christmas Parade. The channel space for channels 2-5 is used for computer networking.

The EPB has now spent over $1.5 million to bring the same high quality cable television and high speed Internet service to customers in the county. This level of service was previously available only to city residents. Completion of this project is a milestone for reasons other than just better service for all of the EPB’s customers. Mike says, “This is the second largest project we’ve ever done. The only thing bigger was when we were first building the city system in 1988 and ‘89.”

Mike encourages people to call the EPB if they are having any trouble at all. Some people may not have been at home when their wiring was switched outside. In some cases, there are parts of the wiring at the home that may need attention. Please call the EPB at 651-8341 if you have any questions.

Glasgow Independent Schools now Communicating 100 Times Faster - 9/5/2002

Glasgow schools set a state precedent by being online since 1992, using the Internet, email and related communications to be able to do a more effective job teaching Glasgow’s young people. Since that time, their communications highway was already much faster than most other schools in Kentucky. With work just completed by the Glasgow EPB, that speed is now about 100 times faster than it was before.

“This will really help the schools. For all the things they do, this is a true high speed connection,” remarked Wade England, Telecommunications Manager for the EPB. “It will make it seem like all the school facilities are one big building, virtually.”

EPB crews have been working closely with school personnel, planning where the connections would come into each structure. The work just completed brings direct fiber-optic connections to each building. The Glasgow schools network will now operate at Fast Ethernet speeds of 100 megabits per second. This upgrade will make all of the email and file sharing functions the schools are presently doing much faster, but, more importantly, it will open the door for many new network functions. “Large businesses are using fiber based networks such as this one to consolidate their telephone, data, and video traffic into one simple network infrastructure”, said EPB Superintendent William Ray. This new fiber system will open the door to the possibility of a consolidated phone system for all school buildings and even desktop video conferencing. “This is the same sort of network that major businesses use to consolidate all of their operations in a skyscraper or corporate campus”, Ray explained.

“We certainly appreciate the visionary leadership of Billy Ray, EPB Superintendent, in bringing this plan to reality. This new system will provide state of the art technology infrastructure to our entire school system,” commented Dr. Fred Carter, Superintendent of Glasgow Independent Schools. “This school/business partnership truly benefits everyone!”

This work will benefit everyone in Glasgow that uses the EPB’s telecommunications. While the school system’s communications are faster than ever, all of their traffic that used to be on the EPB’s network is now gone (it’s shifted to their own new fiber optic network). This will make Glasgow’s cable modem service even faster for everyone else.

This new network connects the Glasgow Board of Education Office, E.B. Terry Elementary, Glasgow High School, Glasgow Middle School, Happy Valley Elementary, South Green Elementary and the Bunche Center.

EPB Awarded Grant for Streetlight Control Project - 5/9/2002

The Glasgow EPB has been awarded a research grant by the American Public Power Association's Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Developments (DEED) program.

The EPB will receive $35,000 from DEED and $40,000 from TVA for a streetlight monitoring and control project. Once in place, the new technology will allow the EPB to monitor, control and troubleshoot streetlighting fixtures from a secure Website. Technology created by Telemics, Inc. modifies the normal photocell, used all over Glasgow (and in millions of outdoor lights across the country), with an intelligent unit, capable of communicating with a secure database, maintained by the EPB.

"Cycling" streetlights are an ongoing problem. These lights come on, illuminate to full brilliance, go off for a while, then repeat the process throughout the night. Attempting to fix the problem is equally troublesome. In addition to being expensive for the EPB simply to fix a light, it's also dangerous. While the light is being repaired (which may take more than one trip to locate the exact problem), a bucket truck is usually parked in the street. The methods for repairing these malfunctioning lights have not changed in over 20 years.

Another aspect of streetlighting is the potential for energy conservation. Energy is wasted every night keeping streetlights fully illuminated, even when there is no traffic in the wee hours of the morning.

The program will begin with the communications and control units being installed and connected, through cable modems, to the Internet through the EPB's HomeLAN fiber-optic network. This connection will make data from each streetlight available on a secure Website. An early test will be conducted to monitor the effects of turning off half of the streetlights on residential streets after midnight. 1,200 streetlights will be connected to the system. This is about half of the streetlights in Glasgow. It is anticipated that the EPB and the City of Glasgow will see reduced overall maintenance costs and lower energy bills for streetlighting because of the project. Control units will be installed on the utility poles, beginning in September of this year. All of the outdoor work is expected to be completed by the end of September with the online monitoring to begin immediately thereafter. A full report will be given to the American Public Power Association one year after the program's start date.

EPB Superintendent Billy Ray notes,"It's reasonable to assume that some of our citizens might want the lights to stay on all night. We want to experiment with this technology and with different on/off patterns to find out how much energy might be saved without raising serious concerns from our customers."

The DEED Program sponsors activities related to energy innovation. The DEED Program is designed to encourage and promote energy efficiency and improve efficiency for utility operations and fund the development of new technologies through the projects of its member utilities.

APPA is the organization serving the interests of the more than 2,000 publicly-owned electric utilities nationwide. APPA established the DEED Program in 1980. The Glasgow EPB is a member of APPA and DEED.

References:
Glasgow Electric Plant Board: www.glasgow-ky.com/releases/
Telemics, Inc:                          www.telemics.com/
American Public Power Assn: www.appanet.org/Deed/

Glasgow EPB Wins National Award as “Most Innovative Cable Company” - 9/27/2001

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board announced today that it has won a national award as “Most Innovative Cable Company” in The Net Economy Interop Infrastructure Awards from Interactive Week magazine. Interactive Week has a circulation of just over 300,000. "The Interop Infrastructure Awards honor those companies that have made significant achievements in the telecom and infrastructure markets," said Carol Wilson, editor-in-chief and publishing director, The Net Economy. The Glasgow Electric Plant Board is the local municipally owned electric power, cable television and telecommunications provider in Glasgow.

The award recognizes the Glasgow EPB’s cable service with the award “...for building a successful cable network providing local residents efficient, quality service at an affordable rate.” Interactive Week goes on to say that Glasgow’s win as a smaller company in a rural area proves that “you don’t have to be big to be good.”

“What’s interesting about Glasgow is that they just set about solving the local customers’ problems,” said Dennis Mendyk, editor of The Net Economy. “They wound up doing something remarkable by starting with a customer focus.”

The Electric Plant Board has won several awards since 1988, when it began construction of the municipally owned and operated broadband network. The network has been used to provide improvements in the operation of the electric system, superior cable television service, and high-speed computer networking and Internet access since its inception in 1988.

For more information, including winners in the other categories, visit the Interactive Week Website at www.ziffdavis.com/news/010910.htm.

Purchase of Comcast by Glasgow EPB Now Complete - 4/2/2001

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board announced today that they have completed the acquisition of the cable television properties of Comcast Cable in, and adjacent to, Glasgow, Kentucky. As previously announced, Comcast was paid just over $3 million for about 200 miles of cable plant serving approximately 3,400 customers. The Comcast plant was taken over and is now being fully operated by the Glasgow Electric Plant Board.

William Ray, Superintendent of the Glasgow EPB, credited the employees of the EPB, the Board Members, the local government, and the people of Glasgow for their cooperation and determination throughout the thirteen year long struggle that resulted in the EPB's success in the cable and broadband venture. "We started this adventure in 1988 as a method to bring better service and lower rates to the people of Glasgow. We had no experience in this business, but we have been blessed with an intelligent and dedicated team that turned out to be very fast learners. We have also been blessed with a visionary Board and local government that trusted us and gave us the latitude to experiment. In the end, we have met those original goals and have been able to expand the project to include advanced services to a rural town that would have otherwise waited many years to receive such modern technology."

William Ray also provided details on the broadband cable project and its effect on the local economy over the last thirteen years. "This project has caused Glasgow and the surrounding area to have perhaps the lowest cable television rates in the country, and has brought advanced telecommunications services to a rural area that would otherwise not even be considered for such services by the private cable and telecommunications providers," said Ray. The Glasgow Electric Plant Board estimates that, over the last thirteen years, the efforts of the EPB have saved the people of Glasgow and Barren County over $20 million in reduced cable television rates. It has also delivered over $600,000 in new tax revenues to local schools, governments, and the local library. This is revenue which the EPB has paid, and will continue to pay, to local jurisdictions based upon the value of the plant they own and operate.

"The combination of these two systems will now guarantee that these benefits will be a permanent fixture for the people of Glasgow and adjoining areas of Barren County," Ray explained. The EPB announced that it will begin immediately making plans to upgrade the facilities acquired from Comcast in the areas outside the EPB's former service area. The EPB intends to extend the broadband network they now operate and the services they offer in the city to all areas served presently by the system they acquired. "The people of Glasgow and the surrounding areas will now be served by a locally owned and controlled entity, the Glasgow EPB. They will receive the most advanced telecommunications services at the lowest possible rates from an entity which will strive to offer them superior products and superior customer care," stated Ray.

CONTACT: William J. Ray, Glasgow Electric Plant Board, (270) 651-8341 or by email at wray@glasgow-ky.com

Glasgow EPB Purchases Local Comcast Cable TV System - 1/12/2001

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board today announced that they have entered into an agreement to purchase the remainder of the Comcast Cable Communications system in Glasgow, and in areas contiguous to Glasgow in Barren County, Kentucky. Comcast acquired the system in Glasgow from Scripps-Howard Cable in 1997. The Glasgow Electric Plant Board constructed its initial cable system in 1989. While there are several details about how this consolidation of the two systems will affect the subscribers to the now separate systems, it is anticipated that the actual transfer of ownership will occur in early spring of this year.

According to William Ray, Superintendent of the Glasgow Electric Plant Board, the Electric Plant Board staff will begin working immediately to formulate a plan for combining the two cable systems which overlap each other throughout the City of Glasgow. "This is perhaps the biggest project we have ever undertaken since the creation of the Electric Plant Board forty years ago," said Ray. The Electric Plant Board will pay just over $3 million for the Comcast system which consists of approximately 220 miles of plant and which presently serves about 3,400 customers in and around Glasgow. "This is a major expansion for us, roughly doubling the number of cable customers we serve and nearly quadrupling our service area. We do not go into an expansion of this size lightly. We realize it will be a daunting and time consuming task, but we also are excited at the prospect of delivering our high technology services to a much larger population," said Ray.

Glasgow Electric Plant Board officials pointed out that much work will be necessary to upgrade the Comcast system to an architecture similar to that used in the existing Electric Plant Board network before services such as high speed Internet access could be offered in the areas outside the City of Glasgow. "All we can tell our existing customers and our future customers is that we will work hard to make sure that this transaction is good for everyone involved. We have to make sure that our present customer service values are not, in any way, compromised in this project. As we learn more about the details of how and when these changes will come about, we will be using every method imaginable to stay in contact with everyone who will be involved," stated Ray.

CONTACT: William J. Ray, Glasgow Electric Plant Board, (270) 651-8341 or by email at wray@glasgow-ky.com

Glasgow EPB Plans Celebration and Fireworks for Dec. 22

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board announced today that significant milestones have been reached in the progress of the broadband network they began constructing in 1988. Further, they invited the community to help celebrate the holiday season in Glasgow, and the project’s success, by joining the EPB team in a fireworks display behind their offices on the evening of December 22, 2000. William Ray, Superintendent of the Electric Plant Board, stated that at the end of this year there would be over 4000 subscribers to the cable television service operated by the Board and 2000 subscribers to the high speed Internet service (HomeLAN) operated in conjunction with the cable television service.

“We are very pleased to now be serving 70% of the cable television customers in Glasgow and we are especially proud that over 2000 homes and businesses in our community have high speed broadband access to the Internet,” said Ray. “Even though some reports of late have lamented the lack of visible effect this service has made on Glasgow, we know the truth is that it is changing the way we live and work in Glasgow...for the better,” Ray went on to say.

Superintendent Ray went on to report that over 150 people were presently on a waiting list for HomeLAN and cable television services. He projected that the growth of Internet connectivity in Glasgow would continue at the frantic pace until nearly every home and business is connected. “We are building and upgrading our broadband network in a fashion which anticipates that Internet connectivity will soon be as ubiquitous as electric power connectivity,” said Ray. According to Electric Plant Board officials, there are now about one hundred other cities constructing broadband networks similar to Glasgow’s, but none of them have the level of participation in all services offered on the network that we have here in Glasgow.

To celebrate this project and its impact on the people of Glasgow, the Electric Plant Board is planning a small fireworks display on the evening of Friday, December 22, 2000. They invite everyone to find places in parking lots near the Electric Plant Board office at 100 Mallory Drive and watch the fireworks display starting at 9:00pm behind the office. William Ray urged the community to, “go out Friday night and take in the beautiful Christmas lighting and decorations in the neighborhoods around town and finish off the evening by joining us for a fireworks extravaganza in celebration of Glasgow’s success in providing advanced services for itself.”

CONTACT: William J. Ray, Glasgow Electric Plant Board, (270) 651-8341 or by email at wray@glasgow-ky.com

3Com Donates $1 Million to 10 US Cities to Promote “Connected Communities”

3Com’s “Urban Challenge” Grants to Extend Through the Year 2000 to 10 Additional U.S. Cities for a Total of Another $1 Million in Networking Equipment and Services

Santa Clara, Calif., Jan. 28, 2000 - 3Com Corporation, in collaboration with the United States Conference of Mayors, today awarded a total of $1 million in networking equipment and consulting services to 10 U.S. cities in the first phase of the company’s Urban Challenge program. 3Com also announced today that Urban Challenge would be extended through the year 2000 to provide a total of $1 million in grants to 10 additional cities.

“3Com’s innovative approach to the Urban Challenge program has resulted in exciting public/private partnerships to address the digital divide in our nation’s urban communities,” said J. Thomas Cochran, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “Based on this program’s initial success, I see many more opportunities for pioneering companies to collaborate with innovative public officials to deliver access to technology in our schools and libraries and public facilities nationwide.”

The 3Com Urban Challenge program helps mayors bridge the digital divide in their communities by fostering partnerships between public officials and private companies to connect people and communities and to improve access to educational, health care, and other municipal resources. Through the program, 3Com is donating a total of $1 million in technology products, network design, and consulting services. The program has grown from 3Com’s proven success in urban environments such as Boston and San Jose, Calif.

“Initiatives such as Urban Challenge have clearly demonstrated that creative, ground-breaking programs can grow from public/private partnerships in our urban communities,” said Greg Rohde, assistant secretary of the United States Department of Commerce for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). “Urban Challenge is an excellent model to build from as public officials throughout the country work with the private sector to ensure that all Americans have access to the dividends of the digital economy.”

Building on its initial success in 1999, 3Com today also announced the company is extending Urban Challenge through the year 2000 to 10 additional U.S. cities for a total of another $1 million. The application deadline for the new round of grants is April 15, 2000, and the winners will be announced in June, 2000. For applications and information, go to “http://www.3com.com/urbanchallenge.”

3Com offered its Urban Challenge to U.S. mayors in July 1999 when the U.S. Department of Commerce released its landmark study, “Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide.” The study outlines in detail the growing divide separating the digital “haves” from the “have-nots,” particularly in urban communities. In December, the Clinton administration announced that the president plans to devote his next “New Markets” poverty tour in the spring of 2000 to highlighting the issue.

3Com has significant experience bridging the digital divide and in bringing technology access to urban communities. In 1996 the company initiated a successful relationship with Mayor Thomas M. Menino in Boston to improve access to technology in the city’s 130 public schools. The collaboration resulted in Boston being the first fully networked urban school system in the United States, while supporting Menino’s efforts to reduce the ratio of networked computers from one for every 63 students to one for every seven students.

“Urban Challenge grew out of our collaboration with Mayor Menino in Boston,” said David Katz, director of Global Market Development at 3Com, the world’s leading provider of e-Networks. “The essence of Urban Challenge is a strong mayor willing and able to bring together interested parties and key constituents to leverage resources in the city. So what we do is look for cities in which mayors can step up to the plate the way Mayor Menino did in Boston to begin the process of connecting their communities.”

“This relationship we have with 3Com has been critical in our efforts to bring state-of-the-art technology to students throughout the public schools in Boston,” said Boston Mayor Menino. The process delivering access to technology in the schools is complex. It demands close cooperation from both the public and private sector, and 3Com has always recognized the value that city officials can bring at the local level. This partnership is working here in Boston, and I’m happy that 3Com has decided to extend the model we developed here to other cities in the U.S. through Urban Challenge.”

3Com’s 10 Urban Challenge Winners and Their Programs

Baltimore, Maryland - Mayor Martin O’Malley
Baltimore will use 3Com networking equipment to network the libraries of 187 public schools in the city. This will connect all schools in the city to the Internet.

Charleston, South Carolina - Mayor Joseph Riley
Charleston will develop pilot technology programs in several public schools and document the results so that the programs can be enhanced and migrated to other schools throughout the city. As part of the grant, 3Com will set up NetPrep centers at high schools to prepare high school students for high tech jobs.

Chaska, Minnesota - Mayor Bob Roepke
Chaska is building a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) for the city that links the public schools to the libraries and city services as well as the Internet. This is part of a long-term effort to integrate computers into the learning process starting at the elementary level. City officials expect to create a model that other school districts can follow. By providing low-cost Internet access, Chaska hopes to bring the information superhighway within the reach of more families.

Chester, Pennsylvania - Mayor Dominic Pileggi
Chester and 3Com will partner with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Widener University to build a multimedia distance learning curriculum that will train Chester students for high-skill jobs. The program will use the South Eastern Pennsylvania MAN and build on 3Com?s existing NetPrep programs in the Philadelphia area.

Denver, Colorado - Mayor Wellington Webb
Denver will combine voice and video services on the citywide MAN that will enable distance learning between students and teachers at schools throughout the city. As part of the project, Denver is doubling the number of PCs available to students and expanding the underlying network infrastructure.

Glasgow, Kentucky - Mayor Charles B. Honeycutt
Glasgow is installing a MAN, which will be owned and operated by the city and link all residents to the schools and city services. The network will foster more parental involvement in the schools and to help motivate students to reach higher levels of achievement.

Madison, Wisconsin - Mayor Susan J. M. Bauman
Madison has an existing citywide school network and is now ready to move to the next level of performance and Internet access. Enhanced network performance will allow more students in the public schools to access educational resources on-line. Adding voice technology with the 3Com NBX 100 communications system and video communications to the data network will allow videoconferencing and distance learning with University of Wisconsin.

New Orleans, Louisiana - Mayor Marc H. Morial
New Orleans YO!NOW! initiative will provide for computer kiosks throughout the city to reach students who have dropped out of school and those that may be in danger of dropping out. The new computer network will connect the kids with training alternatives and job opportunities.

Pontiac, Michigan - Mayor Walter Moore
Pontiac is building a MAN that will integrate voice, video, and data services to establish a world-class information infrastructure for the city’s schools and libraries. The network will bring access to technology to a city in which over 50 percent of students are eligible for the federal Free Lunch program and help promote a new standard of excellence with equity for all students.

Providence, Rhode Island - Mayor Buddy Cianci
Providence will network its remaining two high schools and bring all the high schools online with the Internet. Teachers will integrate computers and Internet access into their classroom lesson plans to constructively engage students with technology. Besides donating networking equipment, 3Com will also contribute its NetPrep program (http://www.3com.com/netprep), a computer-networking curriculum designed to provide high school students with the technology skills they need for careers in the networking industry.

About 3Com Corporation

With over 300 million customer connections worldwide, 3Com Corporation connects more people and organizations to information and each other in more innovative, simple and reliable ways than any other networking company. 3Com delivers e-Networking solutions through information access products and network systems to enterprises, small businesses, consumers, carriers and network service providers. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at www.3com.com or the press site at www.3com.com/pressbox.

3Com and NBX are registered trademarks and NetPrep is a trademark of 3Com Corporation

CONTACT: William J. Ray, Glasgow Electric Plant Board (270) 651-8341 wray@glasgow-ky.com

Glasgow EPB Wins Grant From 3Com

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board announced today that they have won a grant from 3Com Corporation in their Urban Challenge Grant Program. 3Com Corporation, based in Santa Clara, California, is a leading manufacturer of hardware and software used in the creation of local and wide area computer networks and the Internet. The Glasgow Electric Plant Board is the local municipally owned electric power, cable television and telecommunications provider in Glasgow.

The Urban Challenge Grant Program was created in partnership with the US Conference of Mayors. The program will grant a total of $1 million in equipment, training and consulting to ten US cities in which the Mayor is committed to using networking technology toward education or government services. The program is designed to help cities utilize technology to enhance education curriculum and public sector communications systems. Glasgow was chosen as one of those ten cities. “Glasgow should be lauded for their cutting edge community networking efforts,” said Jeffry Liebl, 3Com Market Development Manager.

Glasgow Electric Plant Board has received the maximum grant allowed in the program, $100,000. This grant will be in the form of new equipment from 3Com. The new hardware and software will allow the EPB broadband network and the associated HomeLAN service and Internet access to become even faster and more flexible. “This new equipment will allow us to keep up with the booming demand for access to our services while improving the service for our existing customers,” said William Ray, EPB Superintendent. “We consider ourselves very lucky to have attracted the attention and partnership of a company like 3Com Corporation,” he added, “with their help we will be able to maintain the lead Glasgow presently enjoys over other communities with respect to the provision of broadband network services.”

The Glasgow Electric Plant Board began construction of the municipally owned and operated broadband network in 1988. The network has been used to provide improvements in the operation of the electric system, competitive cable television service, and high-speed computer networking and Internet access for many years.

April 16th turns out to be a taxing day for the EPB (and our customers)... - (OUTAGE) Thursday, 4/16/98

Dear HomeLAN Subscriber:

Many of you had no doubt been watching today's weather pummel the Music City. Glasgow and Barren County certainly had its share of pouring rain, hail, high winds, flooding, even possible tornadoes (although we may have had a little more warning than Tennessee did). Then we saw what happened in Bowling Green with their rains and copious amounts of golf ball-size hail and the ensuing broken windows and dented cars.

The fireworks started HERE a little after 3:00pm. First, all the electric power in Glasgow went off when TVA lost their power feed to our community. There was some damage to their lines somewhere between Bowling Green and Summer Shade. Within about thirty minutes, TVA had their feed to us restored. At this point, we got about half of Glasgow back on. However, there was extensive damage to one of our transmission lines near the Willie Groce Road (poles AND lines down).

You may wonder how we decide where to go to work first in an outage. Generally, the hospital and nursing homes take overall priority. Their need is probably fairly obvious and evident to you. Next, our overall feelings are to get "the most people on as quicky as possible." In other words, if it will take an hour to repair the damage at only one house OR we could get a whole street on in the same time, we usually go for the numbers. That seems to make the most sense to us.

It's very important for you to call us ESPECIALLY when you have any specific damage to report. We need to know if you see arcing at a transformer, lines or poles down, even if you hear any loud "explosion-like" noises (possible fuses blowing). These are all noted when you call and give us specific areas to check for additional trouble and repairs. Also, if you're frustrated when your power comes back on, then immediately goes back off, it frustrates us, too. That means that we think we may have fixed the problem and have re-energized the line. However, it kicks back off when we don't have all the faults found (limbs on the line, a line down or something similar). Then we continue to look for problems on that circuit and try the whole process again. Large circuit breakers trip themselves open to minimize injuries, fires and other hazards.

In terms of specific damage attributable to this storm, besides the damage to our transmission lines near Willie Groce Rd., poles were blown/knocked down at the Family Budget Inn on West Main Street and also near Lenna Drive. Crews are working now and will continue until everyone is back in service. As for the damage to the transmission line, a crew from Pike Electric, a private contractor working for the EPB, is coming in tonight about 1:00am. They will work through the night, rebuilding this section of one of our lines from the Haywood substation.

Speaking of Pike Electric, they've been working along 31-E toward Barren River Lake and Haywood. They're building the new line that will serve Glasgow more directly from our main substation. When that project is completed, it will accomplish two main objective for the EPB (and you). First of all, the newer, larger conductor will carry electricity with lower "losses" (electricity given off as heat), meaning Glasgow's electric usage overall will be more efficient. Secondly, and probably more importantly, we should be able to keep tonight's occurrence to a minimum.

Please allow me to explain. One of the big problems that we have in an outage is finding the specific damage so that it can be fixed. Unfortunately, our two main lines from Haywood go cross-country, through fields and pastures, AWAY from the road. This simply makes them harder to get to for repair and even harder to inspect in the first place. When our project is finished later this year, a line will parallel 31-E into town, making inspection and repair much easier (and faster!).

As always, we'll be working until everyone is back on. Thank you for your help, your concern and, perhaps most of all, your patience. We're here to serve you. Thanks again.

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager/Webmeister

What's Going on at YOUR Utility - Friday, 10/10/97

Dear HomeLAN Subscriber:

"SOLAR OUTAGES"
We thought it was time to give you an update on what the people at your technology utility have been up to. First of all, you probably received my email late last week about "solar outages." Solar outages occur twice a year when our satellites, the sun and our receiving dish here at the EPB are all in a direct line. Solar radiation overpowers the signal from the satellite for about 5-10 minutes per day. Luckily, this only occurs twice a year, for about a week at a time. Everything should be cleared up by Saturday.

"TV TIMES"
As you probably already know, the TV Times Publications company has gone out of business. They sent us a letter saying that they had lost their biggest customer and were going under. Period. Therefore, before we decided on what would or could be done, we wanted to hear from you. Billy made a preliminary report to the Programming Committee last month on this matter, but any action was delayed until this month's meeting (which is coming up Tuesday, Oct. 14). So far, we've received about 96 responses (out of 2,851 households - only a 3.4% response rate). Please LET US KNOW TODAY what you thought of the programming guide! Was it useful? Did you use it? If so, what for? We need to know soon! By the way, since you have such a wonderful gateway to the Internet, have you looked at "The Gist"? There's a link to them at the bottom of the introductory Glasgow page at www.glasgow-ky.com. You can personalize their listings for our channel lineup, do searches for particular programs - it will even look for programs that you particularly enjoy. The URL for The Gist is http://www.thegist.com/.

"THE SCI-FI CHANNEL"
Our contract with Sci-Fi is just about up for renewal. Would you like us to continue to have the Sci-Fi Channel as part of our lineup or are there other channels out there that sound more appealing? We want to hear from you! Let us know what you think.

"WAVE AND THE GAME"
We apologize for the problem with Sunday morning's game between UK and Alabama (Jim Searcy said, "First time in 75 years they've beat Alabama - EVER!"). In addition to continuing to improve our WAVE reception, we're also trying to get a direct satellite feed for UK replays so that this is not a problem in the future.

"WINTER'S ON ITS WAY"
Although the weather is currently very pleasant, colder temperatures will be here soon. Is your home's heating system ready? It's a good idea to have everything checked on a regular basis just to make sure. Also, if you have a central system, be sure to change or clean the filters monthly. The system won't have to work as hard and, consequently, your bills will be lower.

Interested in making your utility bills for your home as low as they can be? If you want to make a noticeable difference in your bills, there are three main areas that make up a majority of your bill: heating & cooling, water heating and refrigeration.

HEATING & COOLING is the single biggest part of your bill. You'll notice how much your bill drops in the spring and fall. That's because that part of the bill simply goes away. For instance, if your bill is $50 for March, April, and May, then goes to $100 in June and July, you spent $50 each of those two months just for air conditioning.

WATER HEATING is the second biggest part of your bill. If you don't have an automatic dishwasher (your spouse doesn't count), the temperature of your water heater should be around 120 degrees. If it's much higher than that, it's probably hotter than it needs to be. It also presents more of a safety hazard to babies, toddlers and the elderly. The higher the thermostat is set, the more often the water heater will kick on.

Also, remember that your water heater will cycle even when you're not home. If you're going to be away from home for several days, consider turning the water heater off. Leave yourself a note to turn it back on when you get back home and you'll have hot water again in a few minutes.

Your REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER is the third biggest energy user in your home (this would include a deep freeze, if you have one). Keep the coils clean. If they're not cleaned, dust builds up on them, acting as insulation, keeping the heat in that its trying to remove.

Other than these three main areas, most of the energy users either don't use much power or they're not "on" enough to add much to the overall bill. If you're trying to save, keep the Big Three in mind.

"E Z PAY/LEVELIZED BILLING"
Remember, EZ Pay deducts the amount of your monthly bill directly from your checking account or savings account - you don't even have to write a check! What could be more convenient? You still receive a billcard, showing you how much the bill will be. In addition to the convenience, the other advantage to EZ Pay is that you get to choose your due date! Is it more convenient for you to pay your bill on the 25th instead of the 5th? EZ Pay gives you the flexibility you want to make bill paying easier and, "It's one less thing to worry about during the hectic fall season."

Also, Levelized Billing is an updated version of Budget Billing. We re-figure an average bill for you each month. That way, your bills don't go way up just because summer hits and you start using air conditioning or colder days and nights come calling and the heater starts coming on. Levelized Billing is available if you've lived at the same address for eight months or more and makes the perfect complement to EZ Pay. Contact Karen Perkins at kperkins@glasgow-ky.com for more information on these programs, designed for you.

Well, that's about all that we have for now. We welcome any comments you may have on any of our many services. Remember, we're one of the best-wired communities in America - take advantage of it and stay in touch.

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager

p.s. Billy has written an article for the "Forum" section of the trade publication Multichannel News. Take a look at it on the Glasgow Website at "http://www.glasgow-ky.com/papers/".

Today's Outage - Tuesday, August 12, 1997

Dear EPB HomeLAN Subscriber:

Tuesday's outage was caused by a large tree branch falling through a transmission line into a distribution circuit at the rear of Marmak. Customers served by Industrial, Donnelley, and Eaton substations were not affected by the incident. Customers from Cleveland sub were out less than 30 minutes (28 minutes, to be exact). Customers around Front Street were restored in 48 minutes and the unfortunate folks that are served by Lexington and SKF subs were out right at 1 hour.

Although our analysis of the trouble seemed painfully slow (to us, at least), the crews worked smoothly and efficiently through several switching operations to isolate, then restore the damaged section. Thank you for your patience - as always, we'll be out working until everyone's back on.

Keeping you informed,

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager/WebMeister

What's Going on at YOUR Utility - Tuesday, August 12, 1997

Dear EPB HomeLAN Subscriber:

It's summertime and a lot's been going on at your EPB. Here's a summary.

"What's Up With This Bill?" - E-Z Pay - Levelized Billing
First of all, this is one of the two times per year when your electric usage normally goes up (cold winter weather is the other time). For your home, heating and air conditioning is the single biggest part of the bill (in the hottest and coldest parts of the year). Your water heater is the second biggest user and your refrigerator/freezer/deep freeze is third.

If your bill is normally $50 (for example) in the spring and fall, then you get a bill in the summer for $100, you probably spent $50 just for your air conditioning! You may not realize how much work your air conditioning system has to do. It not only cools the air (and removes the humidity, obviously very high in this part of the country), but it also has to circulate the air so that you feel its effects. People sometimes say, "I know my window air conditioner is using a lot of electricity. That fan runs all the time." Actually, fans are relatively small users of electric power. The compressor inside the A/C unit is really what's doing most of the hard work.

EPB Finance Manager, Jim Searcy, says, "In many cases, these are some of the highest bills we've sent out since the summer of 1995." We have two programs that might be to your advantage. The first is Levelized Billing. This is an improved version of Budget Billing. With Budget Billing, you paid an average electric bill. However, that average was only figured once a year (although we always read the meter each month anyway). Since it was calculated only once a year, there could be quite a difference when the bill was figured for the next year. With Levelized Billing, we figure a new average EACH month, based on the MOST RECENT 12-month period. Your bill will go up or down a little each month, but the drastic changes that you may be seeing now don't occur.

Also, have you considered E-Z Pay? This is an "automatic bank draft" program where the amount of your monthly bill is taken from your checking or savings account. You don't even have to write a check! You receive your billcard in the mail to tell you what the exact amount will be (we might be emailing you in the future). In addition to the obvious convenience of E-Z Pay, there's another benefit - YOU choose your own due date! Make your bill come due whenever it's most convenient. Email Karen Perkins for more information on either of these programs, designed with you in mind.

Where's the TV Times for September?
We have been notified by TV Times Publications, Inc. that the August issue will be their last. The company is going out of business. We've used the TV Times for years and do not have a specific replacement in mind. What do you want? Before we start beating the brush looking for a replacement, we'd like to know:

1. Will you miss the TV Times? In other words, did you use it?

2. If so, what did you primarily use it for? REQUEST Pay-per-View listings, premium channel listings, regular cable and network listings or a combination of these?

Please give us a call at 651-8341 and give us your thoughts. We're compiling these to help guide us in our search as we look for an alternative (if it's needed). You may also email me with your thoughts.

WKYU-FM is on the Air!
For quite some time now, if you turned to WKYU, channel 24 (cable ready 35) before 10:00am, all you got was static - they don't actually sign on until then. Cable Operations Manager Chappy Rice has now replaced the static and hiss of a station "off the air" with the broadcast of Western's Public Radio, WKYU-FM. Isn't classical music more soothing than all that hissing?

New Email Server is on Its Way!
The EPB has a new email server headed this way. It should be operational by the end of August. It will be faster and more powerful and should help with the email outages that show up from time to time. It will also allow users (that's you) to change their own passwords. You'll be able to leave a vacation message for people that email you while you're away. You'll be able to check your email from a browser (like Netscape Navigator) from anywhere in the world, even automatically forward email. Cool, huh?

We are also looking at offering a "local" PointCast channel for Glasgow. Users can check out the PointCast site at www.pointcast.com. This should be ready by early September.

We hope that you are continuing to explore Glasgow's Website at www.glasgow-ky.com. We continue to make improvements and add information. Please get in touch with us with your ideas for new areas or for improvements to what's already there!

e ya' later,

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager/WebMeister

Today's (and Last Night's) Outage - Saturday, May 31, 1997

Dear EPB HomeLAN Subscriber:

When it rains it pours! May 31 has not been a good day for the electricity business in Glasgow. If you were wondering what all has happened today, perhaps while you were sleeping or while you were down at the Highland Games, here's the information.

First, at about 2:40 AM, a car wreck occurred on Old Bowling Green Road (Hwy. 1297) which completely destroyed a transmission pole. This caused our electrical feed to the west portion of town to be interrupted. The industrial area, including R.R. Donnelley and Eaton Corporation and about 1000 other customers were off from 2:40 to about 3:37. We were able to reorient our feed and get the town back on our east feed into town while the crews worked in the pouring rain to replace the pole on Old Bowling Green Road.

Just when the work was nearly completed on the transmission pole, a connector at the Gorin Park Substation failed due to moisture build up (there was a LOT of moisture out there!). When that connector failed it opened the circuit breaker at Haywood Substation which was now feeding the whole town due to the work being done on the west feed due to the accident. As a result, the whole town was dark from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM. At 11:30 we were able to turn the whole town around again and feed it from the direction where the new transmission pole now stood. Whew!

Finally, just before 1:00 PM the evil connector was replaced at Gorin Park and the whole system was reoriented once again to make everything normal again! Thank you for you patience with us in times like these.

Billy Ray

p.s. Check out the Glasgow website (www.glasgow-ky.com). You'll see a new link for a gallery of pictures of the crews working today's problems around the Gorin Park substation!

Bill Anderson...

Tonight's Outage - Wednesday, April 30, 1997

Dear EPB HomeLAN Subscriber:

Scientists say they can be miles long and only an inch thick... What is it? How about a hint? They're composed of several million volts of electricity. One of the most feared forces in nature - lightning.

If you were watching TV earlier tonight, you probably saw "Severe Thunderstorm Warning" messages on various channels. If you happened to turn to The Weather Channel, the radar image showed a line of very severe thunderstorm activity from the southwest to the northeast, moving east.The crawl was on a red background, instead of the normal blue, signifying very severe weather.

On a color TV, it was some really vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. At our homes, we waited to see what was going to happen. The wind picked up, the rain started to pour and the lightning and thunder rolled. However, to our surprise, it seemed to calm down after about 25 minutes or so with no hint of problems. Mother Nature was giving Glasgow a break this time...

WRONG!

At about 11:41pm, there was a direct lightning strike on one of our 69KV lines (69,000 volts) from our Haywood substation. This tremendous surge of electricity tripped a breaker, resulting in an outage to roughly 60% of Glasgow. EPB personnel were dispatched to the substation, where they discovered the open circuit. When the circuit was reclosed, it "held" (stayed on), without us finding any other damage, such as lines down. The power was off for about 30 minutes.

Although we'll probably never be able to fully control the weather, protective devices such as the large breakers at Haywood are improved as time goes on. As new technology and equipment becomes available, you can be assured that YOUR Glasgow Electric Plant Board will fully use them to make your service even more reliable (this is another indication that the power system needs upgrading). As I've said before, we can't guarantee you that the power won't go off. We CAN guarantee you that we'll be out working until it's back on.

Sleep well.

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager

What's Going on at YOUR Utility - Wednesday, April 2, 1997

Dear HomeLAN Subscriber:

Here's the latest on what's going on at the EPB, information for you, new programs and more...

(Don't) Dig It, Man!
Spring is the time of year when folks like to get outside and plant gardens, set clothesline poles, build fences, pour patios and so forth. Unfortunately that activity also brings a rash of "dig-ins" to our operation. The least problem this causes is a little inconvenience while we make repairs, but far worse is the possibility of electrocution. The EPB will gladly locate any of our underground facilities without cost to the customer, if we're notified prior to digging. While we can often respond the same day we are called, we would appreciate at least 24 hours notice.

Our Calm in the Storm
With the widespread damage suffered by surrounding utilities, we are thankful that our only interruptions were several (quite noticeable) blinks. Although several employees were standing by during the severe weather, we fared as well as could be hoped for, given the severity of the storms. (p.s. Four EPB lineworkers assisted FRECC during their recovery efforts over the weekend)

Digital Streetlights?
Winter has taken its toll on our street lights and we are routinely replacing lamps and repairing fixtures. Because problems are more noticeable at night we often learn from customers that lights have been off or cycling for weeks prior to their saying something. If you see a light that's out or cycling off and on, please call our dispatcher and report the location. They'll need a clear description of how to find the light (in daylight) and a call-back number in case we have trouble finding it. **Email will work great!**

Our Newest Addition
The CATV division is pleased to have WNAB, Ch 58 from Nashville, as our newest channel. WNAB is a "WB (Warner Brothers) Network" affiliate, and has a variety of independent programming as well.

Unplug Those Electronic Appliances
Our system survived the recent storms with remarkably little damage. Nonetheless, subscribers are cautioned that TV's, VCR's, cable boxes, computers, etc. should be unplugged and the cable disconnected when lightning is in the area. It's especially important to do this when leaving home for a weekend or longer. Many people unplug TV's without disconnecting the cable going to them. Although it's unlikely, surges can also travel through the coaxial cable. You probably don't know this, but the EPB uses ground blocks that are actually better than those required by Code. This is just another way we're trying to provide the best service available to you, our customers.

New Programs - Even Sign Up by email
If you are on Budget Billing, when your "anniversary date" comes up, you will automatically be switched to Levelized Billing. Why? Because there's one problem with Budget Billing. When an average is figured only once a year, as with Budget Billing, the payment may go up or down rather drastically from year to year. With Levelized Billing, a new average is figured EACH MONTH, based on the MOST RECENT TWELVE MONTHS. The bill will change just a little from one month to the next, but you won't see the drastic changes that sometimes occurred with Budget Billing. If you have never been on these programs, you are eligible if you've lived at the same address for at least eight consecutive months and have a good payment record. Let us know if you're interested.

Also, when we send out information on Budget/Levelized Billing, we usually also send out information on Automatic Bank Draft and the response has been very pleasing. We've started calling Bank Draft "E-Z Pay" because of one big improvement... In the past, Bank Draft saved you the time and trouble of writing a check every month (it saved postage, too). Funds were automatically withdrawn from your checking or savings account and any transactions appeared on your statement. With E-Z Pay, we're going one step further for you - now you can choose your due date! You may choose to have the bill due and paid on the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th or 25th. You can even sign up for E-Z Pay by email! Get in touch with us for more information on the benefits of E-Z Pay.

Stay in touch and remember that you can contact us anytime at 651-8341 - even epb@glasgow-ky.com. Also, if you haven't looked at the Glasgow EPB Email page, check it out (not the one for the city, but just EPB employees). It's a really easy way to get in touch with someone specific here at the EPB. Thanks!

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager

New EPB Rates - Wednesday, Mar. 26, 1997

Dear HomeLAN Subscriber:

You've probably already heard about our pending rate changes through local media. We thought you might like a little more in-depth information than the "person on the street."

The EPB has announced that new rates will go into effect with the meter readings after May 1. Electric rates will increase an average of 2%. While continuing to be among the lowest electric rates in the country, this increase will add approximately $2.92 to the typical monthly bill averaging 1,000 kilowatthours (it will add about $1.81 to a 1,000 kilowatthour residential bill).

This is the first electric rate increase in five years for the EPB. Although the EPB's rates will only rise by 2%, the rate of inflation over the last five years has risen by 14%.

The increase is needed for system expansion and improvement, according to Billy Ray, Superintendent of the EPB. "We're raising rates the minimum amount necessary to make improvements to our system. Glasgow is growing like never before and we have to keep up to assure the city of reliable electric service," Ray said. "Glasgow's rates are still 25% lower than the national average. Specific improvements we plan to make include a new transmission line from our Haywood substation and other system upgrades, including expanding the total system capacity at the Haywood substation."

You may have noticed some requests to try to minimize your electric usage in the hottest parts of the summer and the coldest parts of the winter in the past. These are Glasgow's "peak" times, when the demand for electricity is at its highest. Currently, our system is just about at its capacity. The system needs to be upgraded to be able to carry the new load, which can come from new homes, new industry and even new electrical appliances you may purchase.

New work will need to be done at our Haywood Substation. This is the delivery point for all of Glasgow's electricity from TVA. We are even talking with TVA to try to get an additional line built into town. This will not only give Glasgow additional capacity that we need, but would also give our system redundancy. A back-up to the Haywood Substation would certainly be beneficial in any instance of damage to the Haywood facility.

You may not be aware of this, but Glasgow's electric rates not only go up, they also go down. The nature of a non-profit utility is to cover operating expenses and to pay the power bill each month. When the rates that you pay are generating more revenue than needed to keep the system operational for another month, it may be time to lower the rates. Our philosophy is that the customer generating the costs to the EPB should be the one to pay those costs. We differ in this way from some utilities, who spread the costs out among all of their customers.

Our rate changes are generally cyclical, which shouldn't be too surprising, since our construction costs usually are, too. Here's what we mean by that. When we build new lines or new substations, it's usually done to cover current needs plus some additional capacity to last for a certain time into the future. Because of Glasgow's growth in many areas, it's time for us to catch up. After the needed construction is done, it will be paid for in a relatively short period of time. When our costs are not as high (especially including debt that we owe on new construction), that would signal us that it's time for an electric rate DECREASE (decreases such as this have happened several times in the last few years).

Rates for cable TV service will change and will include a new rate for "basic-tiered" service. "We've given Glasgow choices in their cable TV service over the last eight years. Now, we're giving them even more control over their cable TV bill," Billy Ray stated. The new basic package will include 16 channels. Cost for this tier will be $8.95 per month, with a $10.95 one-time charge to switch to this tier. For the EPB's extended service of 51 channels, the cost will be $14.95 per month. This is the first change in the cable TV rate since it was begun in 1989. "Since we began offering our superior cable TV service, our costs for programming have risen by 83%," according to Billy Ray. Much of this increase will go toward paying these additional monthly costs. It's great to add new channels that our subscribers want, but there are usually monthly costs to pay for each channel. Part of this increase is simply to attempt to catch up on some of the channels that we've added over the last eight years since Glasgow's superior cable TV service was born.

Some of the changes to our system are mandated by the government, specifically the new EAS System. The Emergency Alert System must be in place and operational by July 1st of this year. This system will allow the EPB to notify you on every channel in the event of a Presidential announcement, severe weather or other hazard. You would be instructed to turn to a specific channel for more information after an alert tone and screen that lasts a few seconds. While this is undeniably a good idea, equipment this sophisticated comes at a price.

Some rates are coming down. The charge for installing an additional outlet will now be $10.95, instead of the former rate of $20.00. This $10.95 charge will also apply to installation of an additional LAN outlet and for relocation of an existing outlet.

The residential rate for HomeLAN will go to $11.95, an increase of 50 cents. The commercial rate for HomeLAN will go to $19.95 per month (extended basic cable is required for HomeLAN service).

The overall reason for these rate changes is to be able to make needed improvements in all of the services that the EPB offers. We hate to brag too much, but all you have to do is watch news reports from other communities and you begin to realize that the EPB is working hard to keep your rates as low as possible. In some cases, we're even able to bring you a level of service that's unheard of anywhere else in the country. Thank you for your support of the EPB. We never forget that we work for YOU.

Sincerely,

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

William J. Ray
Superintendent

Cable TV Work - Tuesday, Mar. 11, 1997

Dear HomeLAN subscriber:

Hello again! You may have noticed a cable TV outage (which, of course, means a HomeLAN outage, too) which lasted only three to four minutes. One of our crews was testing a section of line in front of the EPB building.

They were attempting to isolate and eliminate some noise. If you hear us talking about "noise," we're probably not talking about sound. Generally, our noise problems are electrical noise. Electrical interference, if it's bad enough, can even knock you off-line or keep you from getting on in the first place. That's one of the reasons that it's so important for us to find the noise and stop it. This noise can be picked up and sent back to the EPB (then to all of our customers) through loose cable TV connections, which can act as either broadcast or receiving antennas. Other culprits have included halogen lighting, baby intercoms and faulty electrical switches (this was the reason for our announcements on the Community Bulletin Board on channel 11 asking, "Do you have any loose connections in your home?").

On a lighter note, our "solar outage" problems should be over for about another six months.

As to local origination programming, a meeting of the Barren Fiscal Court will be aired LIVE (another first!) on the EPB Tuesday, March 18, beginning at 9:00am on Channel 49 (cable ready 71). This will be coming to you from the Barren County Middle School. Bill Walter and Michelle Pedigo are really giving their kids at the school a dose of local government and we think you'll enjoy it, too. Stay connected.

e ya' later,

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager

Tonight's Outage - Sunday, Mar. 2, 1997

Dear HomeLAN Subscriber:

We thought you might want to know what caused the outage earlier this evening (which resulted in about half of Glasgow being without electric power for about two hours).

The outage began at about 10:34pm when a tree at Gorin Park fell during this evening's violent thunderstorm. The tree caused damage to both a transmission line and a distribution line. The damage to the transmission line caused the bulk of the power outage, which affected roughly half of our customers. The distribution line damage added an additional neighborhood to those without power. After our crews determined where the major damage was, they isolated that section of line and, in effect, temporarily rebuilt the system to serve the affected customers from the west side (instead of the east).

Although this was the reason for the outage, other customers had problems at their homes. Damage included various parts of buildings, torn loose by high winds being blown into lines, causing line fuses to blow, and limbs (and in some cases, trees) falling into lines.

In other parts of the city, poles were broken on Hall Street and wiring damaged on Trojan Trail. In several instances, lightning arrestors were actually exploded by the fierce lightning.

In addition to the damage that our crews check and then repair to the electric system, our personnel also check on lines that are down. In many instances, the wiring involved is not electric wiring, but we check to be certain.

Most of our customers were without power tonight for less than two hours. It is now 3:30am and the crews are still out working. We anticipate that all of our customers will be back in service by 4:00am (Engineering Manager Hugh Meyer says, "Our crews won't need to take a bath for another week."). Over the next couple of days, our crews (your crews) will be taking care of smaller problems caused by the storm, but problems that are not urgent.

We thank you for your patience in circumstances such as these. We realize that it is not only a difficult time for our personnel, but for you at your home, too. Although we can't promise you that the power won't go off, we can assure you that, as we always do, we'll be out working until it's back on.

And now YOU know the rest of the story, thanks to HomeLAN.

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager

Possible Solar Outage Problems - Friday, Feb. 28, 1997

Dear EPB Subscriber:

From Sunday, March 2 through Sunday, March 9, we will be experiencing brief, but daily, disruptions to our satellite channels. Each of these "outages" will last from 8-12 minutes. "Solar outages" are a normal part of satellite operations. They occur in the spring and fall each year when THE SUN MOVES DIRECTLY IN LINE WITH THE SATELLITE AND OUR RECEIVING DISH. Different channels are affected at different times.

The condition manifests itself as a sparkly picture that gets worse and worse until the picture is gone for a minute or two, then gets progressively better. Again, these problems last only 8-12 minutes per channel.

Listed here are computer-projected outage times for our 41 satellite channels.

From - to:                           Channel(s) affected:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

11:56am - 12:04pm      WSBK 29 (56)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2:44 - 2:56pm          Disney 22            CNN Headline News 7 (7)
                       CNN 40 (60)          Sci-Fi 52 (72)
                       WGN 27 (55)          Showtime 19
                       Family Ch. 10 (62)   HBO 18
                       BET 43 (63)          WTBS 31 (57)
                       Trinity 30 (22)      ESPN 6 (61)
                       USA Network 9 (47)   TNN 39 (53)
                       A&E 16 (45)          TNT 26 (58)
                       CNBC 56 (74)         ESPN 2  57 (75)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:10 - 3:22pm          Weather Ch. 33 (8)   C-SPAN 45 (68)
                       TMC 21               Comedy Central 47 (64)
                       CMT 38 (52)          TLC 25 (59)
                       DMX Prem Audio       The History Channel 55 (73)
                       TV Land 34 (21)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:19 - 3:31pm          Cinemax 20           The Cartoon Network 54 (66)
                       HGTV 28 (54)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:28 - 3:40pm          AMC 14 (44)          C-SPAN 2  46 (69)
                       Lifetime 42 (48)     MTV 36 (50)
                       QVC 12 (67)          Nickelodeon 35 (49)
                       Prevue Guide 50 (36) VH1 37 (51)
                       Travel Ch. 44 (65)   Discovery 15 (46)
                       Request 23

ALSO, have you seen our NEWEST CHANNEL? WNAB, a Warner Brothers affiliate from Nashville. It will be on Channel 58 (cable ready 76). Check it out (wow, another channel!)! Stay tuned...

GLASGOW ELECTRIC PLANT BOARD

Bill Anderson
Customer Relations Manager

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