The Olympics are coming. Time is running out if you do not have TV service from us and would like to get it installed in time for the Olympics please call our office at 541.488.9207 (Remember you have to dial 541 now) to ask for details and schedule a flat rate Olympics Package deal.

Our newsletter online fulfills our desire to go paperless but many of you are not reading it. Thank you for letting me know you miss the paper copy. I take our responsibility to be green seriously but I also take our communications seriously. We are looking for a better way. Let me know if you have any ideas. I'm always open to ideas. We will continue to be paperless for the newsletter for a while longer and evaluate if it works for you or not and then decide what to do.

Our survey is coming. Watch for it. We will email out a link to the online version so that you can fill it out quickly and easily. The survey is important because it allows us to learn what is working and not working as well as what is important to you, our customers. Those of you that have been customers for years, Thank you!, you know that we listen and change based on great ideas from our customers.

Speaking of change, the city of Ashland is narrowing down the selection for the new IS/AFN Director and we look forward to working with the new leader. We expect them to be in place in March. You can read about the process and candidates here.

The Ashland Independent Film Festival is coming April 8-12, 2010 and information can be found on the website at http://www.AshlandFilm.org

Do you like the Oscars? Did you know that you can watch it on HUGE screens live at the Historic Ashland Armory? AIFF is hosting the 82nd Annual Academy Awards Live Broadcast and Silent Auction Fundraiser!Sunday, March 7, 4-9p at the Historic Ashland Armory on Two 30 foot Screens with Professional Concert Sound - Tickets for seats and tables are on sale now at this location on their site.

AFN is 10 years old this month. I remember when we sat down some 12 years ago and started designing it. We formed committees and we volunteered countless hours designing, developing and ultimately deploying a network that changed Ashland forever. From the visionary Pete Lovrovich to the recent Joe Frannel we worked with several leaders as they were challenged to build and then maintain an amazing and complex system they now call the Ashland Fiber Network. I remember meeting the ISPs and becoming one (BISP - Business only ISP). I remember Richard Holbo going deep and building a world class network. I remember the city hiring Mike Ainsworth from Hawaii to run the TV operation. I remember how we used to sit out in the hot sun on the 4th of July and promote this idea that the city would have the fastest internet anywhere. I am proud of what the community built and all the people who are part of it on a daily basis. I love how the system is open by design and I love how many people the ISPs pay living wages to to support the system.

I look at the future of AFN with much excitement. We have a new leader coming on board soon. We have a large install base of loyal customers that are excited about what the future holds. We have a foundation of great technology that was designed for the future. We have new uses everyday being developed and new ways people want to use the network.

The community is economically stronger today because of it's investment in AFN and will continue to grow with intelligent investments to support and expand AFN in the future.

I'm proud to be the largest AFN ISP that is Ashland Family owned and managed, Ashland based and Ashland focused.