Each year Foundation for Rural Service Scholarships is awarded by regions across rural America. Citizens would love to see students in our service area receive these scholarships. Scholarships range from $2,500 - $7,000. The application window is open until Friday, February 25, 2022.
Visit frs.org/programs/youth-programs/scholarships/ for details and application.
To ensure a continuing supply of telephone numbers, the Virginia State Corporation Commission approved the addition of the new 826 area code to the geographic region served by the 540 area code. This process is known as an area code overlay.
An overlay is the addition of another area code (826) to the same geographic region as an existing area code (540). An overlay does not require customers to change their existing area code or telephone number but does require using a new dialing procedure to complete calls.
Anyone with a 540 area code telephone number will be affected. The 540 area code currently serves the northwestern and southwestern portions of Virginia. Some of the larger cities include Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Front Royal, Harrisonburg, Radford, Roanoke, Salem, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester. The new 826 area code will serve the same geographic area currently served by the existing 540 area code.
The new dialing procedure requires all calls in the 540 area code that are currently dialed with seven digits to be dialed using area code + telephone number. The same dialing procedure will apply to telephone numbers that are assigned with the new 826 area code.
Beginning May 14, 2022, you must dial the area code + telephone number on all calls, including calls within the same area code. On and after this date, if you do not dial the area code + telephone number, your calls will not complete and a recording will instruct you to hang up and dial again, including the area code.
Beginning June 14, 2022, new telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers with the new 826 area code. If you have an 826 area code, you must dial the area code + telephone number or the call will not complete.
In addition to dialing the area code + telephone number for all local calls, all services, automatic dialing equipment, or other types of equipment that are programmed to dial a 7-digit number will need to be reprogrammed to include the area code. Some examples are life safety systems and medical monitoring devices, fire or burglar alarm and security systems or gates, PBXs, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, speed dialers, call forwarding settings, voicemail services, and similar functions, etc. You should update your websites, personal and business stationery and checks, advertising materials, personal and pet ID tags, and other such items to ensure the area code is included.
If you have any questions regarding the information provided in this notice, please call Citizens Telephone Cooperative at 540.745.2111, or access the following websites for more information: citizens.coop/newdialing/ or the Virginia State Corporation Commission at www.scc.virginia.gov.
Citizens’ business hours are Monday thru Friday 8 am - 6 pm, and Saturday 9 am - 1 pm. Citizens is a member-owned Cooperative providing telephone, Internet, and TV to Floyd County, portions of Ft. Chiswell, New Castle, and surrounding communities for over 100 years. Citizens offers symmetrical business Ethernet and Hosted Phone Solutions, as well as Medical Alert. Citizens is located at 220 Webbs Mill Road in Floyd, VA currently assisting customers via Drive-thru only due to Covid restrictions. DCJS #11-9804
Citizens Telephone Cooperative (Citizens) recently announced a new WiFi offering designed to give customers control over their home Internet network.
Marketed as Citizens Advanced WiFi, this new suite of services -- powered by Plume® HomePass™-- leverages adaptive WiFi and provides customers with an easy-to-use app for managing their home network, which includes monitoring of data usage, setting parental controls, and access permissions for devices, creating guest logins, and more.
The system guards against cyber threats, can block unwanted content, and through sophisticated Artificial Intelligence, can immediately identify and lock down any infected devices to prevent them from infecting the wider home network. The system also provides peace-of-mind by leveraging WiFi-enabled devices to detect motion within the home through the Sense™ service.
“This product has features that many of our customers have been asking for. We are so excited to offer Advanced WiFi powered by Plume HomePass.” stated Lori Saltus, EVP of Citizens Customer Relations and Marketing.
The iconic Plume-designed pods eliminate hard-wired devices throughout the home and the system continually optimizes to adjust to the unique needs of every home and every device to serve the best Internet signal possible. From the HomePass app, the owner can view the ‘health’ of their network, monitor usage, set priorities for devices, and much more. Citizens’ Advanced WiFi is designed to adjust to the activity to deliver in-home
performance beyond the capabilities of standard WiFi systems.
For more information about Citizens' Advanced WiFi, visit citizens.coop/citizens-advanced-wifi, call Citizens at 540.745.2111 or 276.637.6485.
Citizens is a member-owned Cooperative providing telephone, Internet, and TV to Floyd County and surrounding communities for over 100 years. Citizens also offers symmetrical business Ethernet, IT Solutions, as well as Citizens Medical Alert. Citizens is located at 220 Webbs Mill Road in Floyd. Lobby hours are 8am-6pm Monday - Friday; 9am - 1pm on Saturday.
Plume® is the creator of the world’s first SaaS experience platform for Communications Service Providers (CSPs) and their subscribers, enabling the rapid delivery of new services for smart homes, small businesses, and beyond at massive scale. Visit plume.com.
Plume, HomePass, and Signal are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Plume Design, Inc.
Citizens Telephone Cooperative (Citizens) recently announced their plan to migrate away from traditional cable TV service. Since 2005, Citizens has offered ‘digital’ TV service; a service ran across telephone lines. Today, the Cooperative announced their plan to dissolve the traditional service and offer the newest in television technology -- IPTV.
The company has partnered with Southern Fiber Network to provide SFN TV Now powered by Citizens. The IPTV service is simply watching TV over the Internet. With the continued fiber optic Internet expansion that Citizens plans to complete in 2022, more residents will be able to connect and watch local channels and many of the top networks offered by satellite without paying the exorbitant fees associated with traditional TV packages.
“Many customers will be excited to explore the monetary savings that SFN TV Now powered by Citizens offers.” stated Lori Saltus, EVP of Customer Relations for Citizens. “There are three simple packages to choose from and No Contract is required.”
Citizens will offer a 7-day risk-free trial allowing the customer to simply cancel TV Now within 7 days to avoid being charged for the service. Consumers can cancel their subscription at any time. The packages are:
Essentials $29.95 -- 40 channels including locals, weather
Premium $79.95 -- 139 channels including locals, weather, and sports
Ultimate $99.95 -- 159 channels including locals, weather, sports, and Starz/Encore, The Movie Channel, and Showtime.
For more information visit: citizens.coop/tvnow/
TV Now gives consumers OPTIONS. SFN TV Now can be viewed on up to five devices -- Smartphones, tablets, and SmartTVs. The best thing for Citizens’ customers is that when watching on devices in their home, the data used will NOT count against their Citizens Usage Plan for their fiber service. Consumers with Firesticks and Rokus can expect a superior experience of TV Now powered by Citizens.
For more information, visit www.citizens.coop, call 540.745.2111 or 276.637.6485. Citizens is a member-owned Cooperative providing telephone, Internet, and TV to Floyd County and surrounding communities for over 100 years. Citizens also offers symmetrical business Ethernet, IT Solutions, as well as Citizens Medical Alert. Citizens is located at 220 Webbs Mill Road in Floyd. Lobby hours are 8am-6pm Monday - Friday; 9am - 1pm on Saturday.
Each year Foundation for Rural Service Scholarships is awarded by regions across rural America. Citizens would love to see students in our service area receive these scholarships. Scholarships range from $2,500 - $7,000. The application window is open until March 5, 2021.
Visit https://www.frs.org/programs/youth-programs/scholarships/ for details and application.
On behalf of the Virginia cable industry and the Donald A. Perry Foundation, the VCTA- Broadband Association of Virginia announces the 2021 Virginia’sFuture Leaders Scholarship Program. This year $40,000 will be awarded to outstanding Virginia students attending Virginia colleges and universities across the Commonwealth.
This program is a one-time award and is open to Virginia residents attending an undergraduate 2 or 4 year program at a Virginia institution of higher learning for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Interested applicants should:
The Virginia’s Future Leaders Scholarship Program, now in its 21st year, is an educational initiative of the Virginia cable industry.
The VCTA, established in 1966, serves as the trade association for the cable telecommunications industry in Virginia. The VCTA’s mission is to advocate the broadband and telecommunications issues of member companies to the business community and state officials.
The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) today announced the James L. Bass Legal Scholarship, a new scholarship for students with an interest in rural communities entering their first year of law school. FRS is the philanthropic arm of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, of which Citizens is a member.
With an active law career that spanned more than 70 years, James Bass helped secure funds for rural telephone systems to bring modern telephone service to rural areas. He was pivotal in the creation of NTCA, where he served as one of the organization’s earliest presidents. Bass continued his leadership with service for more than 50 years as legal counsel.
Recognizing Bass’s impact to the industry and his passion for the legal profession, the NTCA Board of Directors established a scholarship for students with an interest in rural communities to attend law school. The first James L. Bass Legal Scholarship will be awarded in spring 2021 and will be at least $5,000.
“Jim was not only a founding member of NTCA, he was a guiding light for our association through much of his lifetime,” said Shirley Bloomfield, chief executive officer of NTCA. “He spent his last years in service to the association as our general counsel where he helped guide our national board through growth and transformation. How fitting it is to honor him with a law school scholarship recognizing not only his passion for rural America but for the legal profession as well. My sincere thanks to all the NTCA members who so generously donated in Jim’s memory.”
“Citizens is pleased to make another scholarship available to graduating seniors,” stated Greg Sapp, CEO & General Manager of Citizens. “We believe in building opportunities for the future and we are honored to offer this scholarship in Jim’s legacy.”
The deadline to be considered for the spring 2021 James L. Bass Scholarship is April 16, 2021.
Visit https://www.frs.org/programs/james-l-bass-legal-scholarship
What better way to celebrate a New Year than by freshening up your company logo?
Citizens Telephone Cooperative is doing just that. Their motto for the logo reveal is “New Year. New Look. Same Dependable People. Same Reliable Service.”
“As the Cooperative continues to offer more fiber dependent technology, we thought it only right to exhibit that in our marketing presence,” stated Lori Saltus, EVP of Citizens’ Customer Relations and Marketing. “We hope our customers will like our new look, holding on to our heritage of the past, operating in the present, and preparing for the future as depicted by the three strands of fiber encircling the globe. We remain devoted to our residential and business customers both near and far,” commented Greg Sapp, CEO & General Manager.
For more information, visit www.citizens.coop or call 540.745.2111. Citizens is a member-owned Cooperative providing telephone, Internet, and TV to Floyd County, portions of Ft. Chiswell, New Castle, and surrounding communities for over 100 years. Citizens offers symmetrical business Ethernet and Hosted Phone Solutions, Security, Automation, and Access Control Systems as well as Medical Alert. Citizens is located at 220 Webbs Mill Road in Floyd currently serving customers via drive-thru Monday thru Friday 8 am - 6 pm, and Saturday 9 am - 1 pm; online assistance is available 24/7. DCJS #11-9804
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is going to my grandma’s on Christmas Eve and then driving back home to my Mom’s in Carroll County, where I spend the night and wake up on Christmas morning with her and my little brother, Eli.
This year, I will spend most of my holiday time with my grandma, who turned 90 this year. She wants to keep everything as normal as possible--which calls for seeing her kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and now great-great-grandkids!
As a child, I loved going Christmas Caroling with my church.
Less family will gather this year, but we still plan to have our traditional game night on Christmas Eve with our children and grandchildren.
I usually make a big Christmas Eve dinner with my dad's side of the family. We cook lots of food and just enjoy our time together.
I will celebrate Christmas Eve at home with my immediate family this year, making holiday goodies.
My holiday tradition has always been to celebrate Christmas with my family in Wisconsin, but this year I will stay home and celebrate with my mom and brother in Virginia
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is gathering with my extended family to pick out the tree. When the whole family is home for Thanksgiving weekend, my dad hooks up his tractor to a hay wagon, and we drive through his land to pick out a Christmas tree. He created this tradition for the grandkids, and what they didn't know then was he would go out earlier the same morning, cut his tree down, and stick the tree in a hole. Then when we were having our hayride, we would magically come across the perfect tree!
All of my family could not come home for Thanksgiving this year, but I still have the memories from all of those fun times!
Citizens Telephone Cooperative (Citizens) prides itself on being a community partner. Most recently, Citizens adopted 10 senior citizens who are enrolled in the Agency for Aging “Santa to a Senior” program to provide gifts for the holiday season.
Citizens’ Events Coordinator, Tina Osborne, stated “due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the gifts will be purchased by one person in the company to avoid possible cross-contamination of any kind.” This is quite different from how Citizens would normally handle this event. “Our employees love to give and normally ‘adopt’ the person and take their wish list to purchase the items as a group or department.” The Citizens’ spirit that is normally exhibited during this time of year was not dampened by fewer people being involved. Instead, the company’s marketing department made a Christmas card showing the individuals of each department within the company for the residents. This is just one way Citizens is adapting to keep the holiday spirit alive during this unusual time.
Citizens was able to supply the items listed for each senior citizen. “It was heartwarming to see the needs of these individuals. There was nothing but pure ‘need’ in their requests...toiletries, clothing, cleaning supplies, and pet food just to name a few.” Citizens even added toilet paper to the package of each person to help during the increased wave of COVID cases in the area. The gifts were nicely wrapped in festive gift wrap and delivered to the residents by the Agency on Aging.
Citizens partnership with the Agency on Aging is a fulfilling effort for both organizations. “To know that you are able to make a senior citizen smile and fulfill a need is worth every moment spent.”
For more information, visit www.citizens.coop or call 540.745.2111. Citizens is a member-owned Cooperative providing telephone, Internet, and TV to Floyd County and surrounding communities for over 100 years. Citizens also offers symmetrical business Ethernet, IT Solutions, Home Security Systems as well as Citizens Medical Alert. Citizens is located at 220 Webbs Mill Road in Floyd.
Drive-thru hours are:
8:00 am - 6:00 pm Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 1:00 pm on Saturday
For information about the Agency on Aging, visit www.nrvaoa.org. The NRV Agency on Aging serves Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski counties and the City of Radford.
For me, Christmas is the time for family. Losing family members makes getting through the holiday season difficult, but being with family members who are still with us is an important tradition that helps me ease the pain of loss. Our extended family has always gotten together on Christmas Day at my home--40 to 50 family members gather, and each family brings their favorite dish. What fun we’ve had over the years, enjoying delicious food together.
Because we have elderly family members and family members with compromised immune systems, we decided not to get together this year. It will be quiet, but I will spend it remembering the wonderful Christmases Past and looking forward to future Christmases.
In my quiet home, there is still one tradition that will remain unchanged this year; I will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Merry Christmas to all, and remember the Reason for the Season. God Bless.
A tradition I started about five years ago was writing Christmas cards. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents as a kid, and they would ask me to check their mailbox for Christmas cards, often multiple times during a visit because the mail hadn't run yet. They would watch the mailbox from the window to get those cards just as soon as the mail person delivered.
They would light up with joy with every single one, especially ones with pictures and hand-written notes. Each year as they got older, the number of cards dwindled because people would post on social media and text Christmas wishes instead, or because more of their friends were passing away. At that point, I realized the importance of my generation carrying on the tradition of sending paper Christmas cards.
I like to buy completely blank cards to write a personal note to each person by hand. I always include a Bible verse from the nativity story that sticks out to me that year. When making my Christmas card list, I try especially hard to include folks from older generations, shut-ins, nursing home residents, and people who have lost loved ones.
This year, my list is much longer because I can’t greet many of my friends and loved ones with a big ol' hug like I normally would. I am incredibly grateful that Christmas cards are a tradition the pandemic cannot take away from me, and if anything, it will make the tradition that much sweeter.
I encourage everyone to write a few cards this year just to let them know how much they mean to you and that you’re thinking of them. We all need a little extra love going around this year!
The 2020 Annual Meeting of Citizens Telephone Cooperative was held on Saturday, October 17th, at Citizens’ office on Webbs Mill Road. Members of the Cooperative were greeted and directed to park by Citizens employees who wore masks and kept a physical distance of 6ft. Members were asked to tune their car radios to 87.9 FM while the Board of Directors and CEO of Citizens conducted the meeting outside of the building.
President Wesley Goff opened the meeting, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and gave the President’s Report. Secretary Shelby Quesenberry read the minutes from the last meeting. Director Kevin Hubbard presented the re-election of Board members Joseph Italiano (Alum Ridge exchange), Jonathan Vest (Locust Grove exchange), and Shelby Quesenberry (Willis exchange).
CEO and General Manager Greg Sapp reported on the Cooperative’s progress during the COVID-19 pandemic and applauded Citizens employees for their readiness to handle the increase in demand and their willingness to assist customers working and schooling from home. During the pandemic, the company increased installs and performed in record time.
“We installed free WiFi hotspots at Check Elementary, Willis Elementary, and Floyd County High School to assist students, teachers, and staff meet their distance learning and teaching needs. We also put a free hotspot here in our front parking lot to assist our customers. We installed free WiFi hotspots at 3 Wythe County school locations as well,” stated Sapp. Citizens’ offers a $10 per month Student Connect broadband service to qualifying families with school-age children in the home. To assist qualifying families who may not meet the criteria for the Student Connect program, Citizens offered a 50% discount. Citizens also provided discounts and credits to several local businesses when they were closed or experiencing significant declines in business. “We have worked with many customers during this time to provide options for paying their bills with us. We understand that these are difficult times and that we all must work together,” continued Sapp.
Citizens has taken many precautions during the pandemic to keep members and employees safe. The company closed the lobby to the public on March 24th, and it has been closed ever since. Fortunately, the drive-thru window has allowed for customer service and support needs during this time.
Sapp mentioned measures the company has taken to support the health and safety of Citizens employees, “We have made arrangements for employees to work from home and other off-site locations. The employees working from home rotate with those in the office to provide everyone this option and to prevent all employees from getting sick should we have an outbreak at the office. We have been very fortunate that an outbreak has not happened.” He explained that all employees who enter the building have their temperatures checked each morning. If employees have to work close to each other, they have to rotate wearing masks. He continued by stating field technicians are taking precautions as well. “The technicians are taking their own temperatures if they are dispatching from home and are using an app to affirm that they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and are including a picture of their temperature reading. The technicians are wearing masks if they need to enter a customer’s home.” Citizens is also using a questionnaire to screen customers for COVID-19 symptoms before a technician enters the home.
Citizens is taking the pandemic very seriously since telecommunications businesses are considered essential. The company has not been closed a single day and continues to meet the needs of the community during the pandemic.
Sapp also shared the company’s status on the ACAM fiber deployment throughout Floyd County and explained that Citizens obtained partial funding through the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI), enabling residents in the Copper Hill area to connect to fiber. In just a few months Citizens has connected 49 out of 316 homes. “This type of grant had to be initiated by a locality, and I would like to give special thanks to Lydeana Martin for taking the lead with this grant,” stated Sapp.
The Cooperative will move into the final construction phase of the fiber project in 2021 and looks to launch a new streaming TV service. The streaming TV service will eliminate the cost of set-top boxes and will give the viewer more flexibility to watch programming on many types of devices including tablets, smartphones, and laptops.
Traditionally, the annual meeting ends with drawing the winners of door prizes and sitting down for a catered meal. To meet recommendations for gatherings during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Citizens opted not to give door prizes or serve a meal.
Sapp mentioned that the Cooperative will continue to hold Annual Meetings at the company’s office located at 220 Webbs Mill Road, Floyd. “We’ve made some enhancements that will allow us to hold the meetings here with ample room to accommodate our members,” stated Sapp.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
For more information about Citizens, visit www.citizens.coop or call 540.745.2111. Citizens is a member-owned Cooperative providing telephone, Internet, and TV to Floyd County and surrounding communities for over 100 years. Citizens also offers symmetrical business Ethernet, IT Solutions, Home Security Systems as well as Citizens Medical Alert and Web Services. Citizens is located at 220 Webbs Mill Road in Floyd. Lobby and drive-up hours are 8 am-6 pm Monday - Friday; 9 am - 1 pm on Saturday. DCJS #11-9804
The best way to sum up 2020 would be to say it’s been a ‘unique’ year for your Cooperative. Navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us our strengths and given us opportunities to do things in different ways. The Board of Directors, Leadership Team, and Employees of the Cooperative have embraced the opportunity to continue to provide you with quality service, excellent support, and advanced technology in more new ways than ever before.
We closed our lobby doors to the public on March 24th but remained steadfast to serve you through our drive-up, by phone, and online. We continued our deployment of 1Gbps Fiber to the Home service. To date, we have entered Phase 4: the Alum Ridge community and the Floyd North area. We are steadily connecting Indian Valley and the Parkway region of the Fairview area. We continue to connect homes in earlier completed areas as well.
Currently, in our ACAM project, we have constructed 257.4 miles of fiber and have over 1,000 customers connected to the Gigabit fiber service. That’s nearly 30% of our Internet customers and much more than we anticipated. In addition, your Cooperative completed a VATI project passing 316 homes in Copper Hill making Gigabit service eligible to those homes as well. To the early adopters in Copper Hill, we say “WELCOME TO GIG COUNTRY!” We hope you are enjoying the 1Gbps speed with generous Usage Plans that are designed to meet the specific needs of your home.
As more areas become Gig-ready, watch for emails and letters from our sales team. You can also stay informed on the progress of the fiber project by viewing the construction Fiber Map on our website citizens.coop/fiberexpansion and following the Fiber Installation Timeline as we get closer to your home citizens.coop/fiber-to-your-home-installation-timeline
Thank you for your support and for being a loyal member. We appreciate the trust that you put in us.
Our Mission is to provide you with Quality Service, Excellent Support, and Advanced Technology. It’s our privilege to provide Technology for Your Community.
Sincerely,
Greg Sapp, CEO & General Manager
We’re all about connections.
Learn more about the installation of fiber at:
citizens.coop/fiber-to-your-home-installation-timeline
Citizens Telephone Cooperative began hosting an annual Halloween event in 2010. The event has grown from an inside trick-or-treat for customers to an outside Community Event.
“We’ve watched children grow up and have enjoyed seeing their costumes each year. Sadly, due to Covid, the 2020 event will require everyone to remain in their vehicles, but it will still be a fun time for all. Our employees put a lot into this event and have used their creativity to put this drive-thru event together.” said Greg Sapp, GM & CEO of Citizens.
Each year the Cooperative holds a themed event that is frightfully friendly for all ages. Citizens employees were not about to let the COVID-19 pandemic dampen their community spirit. This year’s event will be a Drive-thru Halloween event on Saturday night, October 31st from 7 - 9 pm. Guests will start at the Floyd Rec Park to help avoid congestion along Rt.8. Attendees will be given a FREE ticket to attend the ‘Haunted Circus’ at Citizens, located at 220 Webbs Mill Road, Floyd, VA.
The event’s coordinator, Tina Osborne, explained that once cars are lined up at the Floyd Rec Park, they will be divided into groups and released onto the event route. “Safety is our priority,” stated Osborne. “We want everyone to have a good time and keep safety in mind along the route. We ask that guests remain in their cars at all times as they watch the circus come to life.”
This is not a normal circus as guests will see from the scenes and circus performers. There will be two routes, one for thrill-seekers looking for a fright, and a friendlier one for young children. The children’s area is sponsored by Skyline National Bank, Outer Space, Manifesting Wellness Chiropractic, Safe Surfin’, and ACE (Associated Citizens’ Employees). This area will include a stilt walker, live music by Kari and Michael Kovick, juggling by Geoff Marsh (bookyournextevent.com), hula hooping by Luna (lunaversal.hoopz), and more!
“We appreciate the attendance from our community and are grateful to the volunteers who are joining us to make this the best possible event for a pandemic year. Special thanks go to the Floyd County Fire Department, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, The June Bug Center, and Citizens’ employees and families who have put in countless hours changing this event from a walking public gathering to a drive-thru event.” stated Greg Sapp.
Dear Cable Subscriber,
We’ve been getting this question a lot:
Is it possible to choose the channels we really want without the ones we never watch? Just asking because I don't know how that works.
If you’ve wondered why you can’t pick and choose the exact channels you watch, in the same way you order from an a la carte menu at your favorite restaurant, you aren’t alone. Many viewers have switched to a streaming service such as YouTube TV, Roku, etc. However, streaming services also require a fee that includes many often unwatched channels.
While these channels might not rank on your list, major networks (referred to as media empires) own many channels, and they require broadcasters like Citizens to buy the entire bundle. For example, to get HGTV, we have to pay a lump sum that includes all of the smaller channels the media empire owns. From their point of view, it makes sense. They need to cover the costs of producing all of the content on all of those channels, and if they let viewers pick and choose, the smaller channels wouldn’t be viable. But we understand that this is frustrating for viewers who may only watch a handful of the channels in their package.
We would like to offer ala carte choices to our customers, but we are required to pay one price for the TV channel bundle, and that price continues to increase. Rest assured that we will continue to negotiate contracts on your behalf, but the industry continues to take the choice out of the equation.
There is a lot more to this story, and for those interested in learning the history and finer details, these articles from Reviewgeek and Fastcompany are useful resources.
Sincerely,
Your Cooperative
Citizens would like to extend an offer to all local churches in our service areas of Floyd, Ft. Chiswell, and New Castel to air weekly sermons on CCTV Channel 20.
Simply record the sermon using any digital camera, smartphone, or tablet and send via WeTransfer.com to hariberzins@citizens.coop. We can only accept digital files. Sermons need to be under 60 minutes in length.
Please include the church name, contact phone number, pastor name, and date of the sermon.
Due to the Virginia Department of Health confirmation of Covid 19 (Coronavirus) case for a person living within 50 driving miles of our main office, Citizens will Close the Business Office to the Walk-in Customers effective Tuesday, March 24th.
We WILL continue to serve you and to keep you connected.
The drive-thru window at our Floyd office will remain open to handle bill payments and provide various services and support assistance. We will maintain normal business hours of 8 AM - 6 PM on weekdays and 9 AM- 1 PM on Saturday.
You can reach our staff by phone (745.2111 or 276.637.6485), or email (customercare@citizens.coop) and our 24/7 Technical Support will continue by calling 1.800.741.9525.
This Office Closure will also result in other steps to help reduce Covid 19 spread by limiting the activities of our technicians who would need to visit your home. The technicians will take precautionary measures. They will be wearing protective masks and will not enter your home. If you need new equipment, accessories, or exchange existing equipment, the technician will place the equipment on your doorstep and will guide you through any steps needed to connect the equipment by phone, verbally through a door or window and/or provide written instructions. Furthermore, if any wiring is needed, the technician will provide a temporary connection through a window and guide you on the connection process. We will schedule a time after the pandemic declaration is lifted to return and correct temporary wiring arrangements and to pick up any used equipment if the technician is unable to pick up equipment during the visit to your home.
Furthermore, for education, remote work, and communication purposes, Citizens has FREE Public WiFi Access available for public use at the lower end of our parking lot. A banner is displayed with logon credentials. There are other public WiFi access points available at many local businesses. Cheri Baker at Tuggles Gap, Restaurant & Motel located at 3351 Parkway Lane South, Floyd stated “We still have free internet access here at Tuggles Gap. Our deck that is attached to the restaurant is available to those who may need to use the internet, even though the business is closed, for as long as our local schools are closed. The public is welcome to use our internet on the deck.” Other local businesses with limited range WiFi for public use include: Blue Ridge Diner, Floyd Country Store, Pizza Inn, Subway, & American Pie Restaurant.
“These steps are necessary to protect you and your family and our employees and to help contain the spread of the virus. Thank you for your understanding and be assured that we will strive to keep you connected during these difficult times.” Greg Sapp, CEO & GM of Citizens.
First of all, we are here to serve you and will continue to serve you and keep you connected. We are continuing to monitor the Covid 19 pandemic situation and have established guidelines for when we would initiate an Office Closure and close the office to walk-in customers. If a confirmed case is announced whereby that person lived within 50 miles driving distance of the main office in Floyd or our Ft Chiswell work center (we are referring to that as the “commuting zone”) then we will close the Floyd office to walk-in customers. The Ft Chiswell work center is a technician work location and is not open to customers. The drive-thru in Floyd would stay open and we will handle bill payments and provide various services and support assistance via the drive-thru as well. We will aim to maintain normal business hours of 8AM – 6PM on weekdays and 9AM- 1PM on Saturday. You can always reach us by phone (745.2111 or 276.637.6485) or email (customercare@citizens.coop) and our 24/7 Technical Support will continue by calling 1.800.741.9525.
This Office Closure would result in other steps to help reduce Covid 19 spread by limiting the activities of our technicians who would need to visit your home. The technicians will be wearing protective masks and would not enter your home. If you need new equipment, accessories, or exchange existing equipment, the technician would place the equipment on your doorstep and will guide you through any steps needed to connect the equipment by phone, verbally through a door or window and provide written instructions. Furthermore, if any wiring is needed, the technician will provide a temporary connection through a window and guide you on the connection process. We will schedule a time after the pandemic declaration is lifted to return and correct temporary wiring arrangements and to pick up any used equipment if the technician wasn’t able to pick up that equipment during the visit to your home.
These steps are necessary to protect you and your family and our employees and to help contain the spread of the virus. Thank you for your understanding and be assured that we will strive to keep you connected during these difficult times.
Citizens Cablevision is temporarily adding more channels to your existing Digital TV package for your viewing enjoyment. These channels are available NOW through April 30 at No Additional Cost to you in your subscribed package. It’s our way of taking a Byte out of the Coronavirus.
Channels added to BASIC Package:
Channels added to Signature Package
Channel added to Crest Package:
* In HD based on subscription and where available.
For more information, please contact Citizens at 745.2111 or 276.637.6485. Service not available in all areas.
As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) begins to have a greater impact across our communities, your Cooperative is here to assist and support you. Our team is proactively monitoring the situation and has implemented a Contingency Plan which provides a comprehensive strategy to protect the organization from events that can disrupt normal business functions. Rest assured, we are positioned to continue providing critical communication services to the business, education, and residents in the communities we serve
Our employees are following guidelines to help prevent the spread of the virus, including frequent and thorough washing of hands and keeping work surfaces and equipment clean. Like many organizations, we have limited any non-essential corporate travel to large events and requested that any teammates who are or become sick stay home.
Our team is committed to our community and prepared to give top priority to supply Internet access to students without in order to meet educational requirements should online instruction take effect.
We are prepared to support work from home and online learning efforts. If you have these needs, please call 540.745.2111 or 276.637.6485 to discuss.
Cybercriminals are using concerns about the virus to launch phishing attacks. These emails may try to entice you with the promise of the latest coronavirus information, the sale of scam products or the request for personal or business-sensitive information. Because of this, please be cautious of clicking on email links or opening attachments referencing the coronavirus, unless you are sure they are from a trusted source. In addition, if your devices do not have a virus protection software installed, know that Citizens offers a robust virus protection software for $5.95. One easy to download and install subscription covers up to four of your devices — smartphones, tablets, laptops and/or desktop computer.
If you are wanting to reduce in-person interactions, which we encourage, you can use one of the various methods that Citizens offers to conduct business. We have forms on each of our core service pages on our website that enable you to communicate with our teams.
At any time, you may continue to call our office as our Contingency Plan includes our ability to handle phone calls even if our office is closed.
Our 24/7 Support team (1.800.741.9525) is also on hand to assist or direct your need to an appropriate teammate who will return a call to assist you.
Should a premise visit be required, please know that our staff will be forthright in inquiring about recent fever and illness as an effort to keep the virus at bay.
In addition, we offer Citizens E-Care that allows you to subscribe to new services, pay your bill, make changes to your existing services, and report service issues. If you haven’t enrolled, you can quickly get started at https://citizens.coop/myaccount/ or call our office at 540.745.2111 or 276.637.6485 during office hours. We will be glad to assist you in setting up your Citizens E-Care account.
We will continue to monitor this health situation and adjust our plan as needed. If you have questions about COVID-19, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/, World Health Organization https://www.who.int/ and Virginia Department of Health (VDH) http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus websites are good sources for accurate and up-to-date information.
Each year Foundation for Rural Service Scholarships are awarded by region across rural America. Citizens would love to see students in our service area receive these scholarships. Scholarships range from $2,500 – $7,000. The application window is open until March 6, 2020.
Visit https://www.frs.org/programs/youth-programs/scholarships/ for details and application.