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September 2001
This is our first chance to communicate directly with you since the
terrorist attacks on the US on September 11 left us all stunned and
wounded. We are not going to editorialize here -- that's not within our
domain or our ability -- except to say that our hearts go out to all who
have been touched by this loss.
In the days since that event, there have been ample sources of infor-
mation about what each of us can do to provide direct help or resources for
the rescue and rebuilding efforts. We would like to do our small part to
contribute. At the same time we remember that other worthwhile entities
are still in need, perhaps even more so now. To these ends we will be mak-
ing donations this coming month, both to the relief funds and to NH-based
charitable organizations that we select.
Statement fee
As we have announced to you in newsletters throughout this year, as of
this billing period we are adding a statement fee for any invoices that we
send on paper via postal mail. For reasons mentioned at the beginning of
this newsletter, we will be adding the statement fees collected during this
billing to the amount that we donate to charitable organizations as
described above.
In the future, you can avoid this fee by allowing us to send your
invoices via email. To switch to email billing, you can contact us via
phone or email, or you can go to the web page:
http://home.mv.net/emailrequest
Dialup rates
A reminder: our rates for standard dialup accounts will be going up to
$22.50/month beginning next month.
Nameservice charges
Also mentioned in newsletters this year, our fees for nameservice are
changing. Up until now, our nameservice charges have been expressed as a
minimum that is offset by other fees in your account. Our goal there was
to attempt to provide free nameservice for a single domain if you also had
a standard account with us, while helping us to defray nameservice costs if
you registered multiple domains. We've finally given in to the fact that
this method of charging was both too confusing to express and to under-
stand, and are charging a simple $1/month fee for nameservice. To keep to
the original intent, the first domain will not incur this charge as long as
your account also has other billable services.
This rate structure applies by default to all new nameservice accounts
as of September 1, 2001. Existing nameservice accounts will retain the old
fee structure until January 1, 2002, at which point all nameservice
accounts will use the new fee structure. However, you can convert your old
nameservice accounts to the new fee structure if you wish; just contact us
to arrange this.
We ask you to check over your invoice to see if you can benefit by
changing your existing nameservice account billing. Generally, if you have
multiple nameservice accounts and they make your account minimum higher
than what you are paying us because of other fees, you would probably bene-
fit from the newer rate system.
New accounts and referrals
Word of mouth is a large part of how new customers hear about us, and
we're grateful to you when you recommend us. Remember that when you do
refer a new dialup account to us, you get a $15 credit to your account once
we've received the initial deposit from the new customer. Please make sure
you have the new customer tell us that you referred them!
Reduced new account deposit!
When a customer signs up for a new standard dialup account, they
accept the account within 2 weeks by sending in a deposit. Our standard
deposit has been $50, with $10 being used for a setup fee and the rest as a
non-refundable credit to the new account against future billing.
As part of a summer special we reduced the deposit on new standard
dialup accounts from $50 to $25, with no setup fee (all of the deposit
being credited to the account). This special ends September 30, but we've
decided to keep the deposit at the $25 level indefinitely, which includes
the standard $10 setup fee and the remaining $15 being credited to the new
account.
ClariNet
If you've read our last couple of newsletters, you know that we have
been asking for feedback about whether to keep the ClariNet news service on
our news server and web server. ClariNet provides real-world news, sports,
business and technical information, editorial commentary, all divided into
groups where you can get in depth information about a subject of interest
to you. The dilemma we are having is that with all the other news sources
out on the Internet, we have been seeing less and less use of the ClariNet
service, to the point where we wonder if it makes sense for us to continue
to pay for it just for the benefit of a handful of customers.
The feedback was decidedly thin -- we got a few dozen responses over
the two month period. Almost all of the responses were emphatically in
favor of keeping the service. Some echoed us in pointing out that the
ClariNet service provides a variety not easily found elsewhere, and gives
you the ability to focus on some topics in greater depth. This feedback by
itself was good, but the small quantity seemed to underscore the underlying
problem.
The attacks of September 11 helped us to decide. In general, the
ClariNet news did not provide any greater information than we got by watch-
ing television or reading the headlines at the CNN or MSNBC websites (for
example), nor was it any more timely. However, the main point was proven:
during this period you could still go to ClariNet to find out what is going
on in places like Myanmar, Taiwan, East Timor, Chile, and so forth. In a
time when we need a better understanding of the world around us, we simply
wouldn't feel right taking this resource away.
Bottom line, we are keeping ClariNet. Perhaps next year we will visit
this question again, but that's the decision this time around. You can
access ClariNet on our news server by reading the clari.* groups, or on
our web server by going to
http://www.mv.com/clarinews/
Feedback
Your feedback on this newsletter and questions raised herein are wel-
comed. You can send email to mv-qotm@mv.mv.com to respond to any queries;
you can email our support staff at mv-admin@mv.mv.com for more immediate
attention.
MV Communications PO Box 4963, Manchester, NH 03108 (603) 629-0000