JANUARYFEBRUARYMARCHAPRILAARON JOHNSONDIANE HIGHNAMPAUL MCCAUGHEYCORY SMITH

MAYJUNEJULYAUGUSTLINDA KENNEDYRUTH SCHILDSTEVE FRAZIERMIKE MCKINNEY

SEPTEMBEROCTOBERNOVEMBERDECEMBERRON COLLUMMARNELL LYLELOGAN SUMMYLANE REEVES

2015 COMMUNITY

CALENDAR

Cedar Falls Utilities • 1 Utility Parkway • PO Box 769 • Cedar Falls, IA 50613

In January, CFU will upgrade the speeds on all our FiberNet service plans. The capacity of our all-fiber gigabit network allows us to turn up the speed for our customers while continuing to deliver reliable and economical service.

Internet speeds are a combination of download (the first number listed) and upload speeds (the second number.) The download speed is the pace at which data is transferred to your computer. Upload speed is the opposite. It’s the speed at which your data (such as your photos or videos) is uploaded to the internet. Both download and upload speeds are important for customers today.

Each CFU service plan will have substantially faster download AND upload speeds. Our most popular residential service plan, FiberHome, will increase from 16/8 mbps to 50/25 mbps.

You’ll especially notice better performance if you have multiple devices connected to your network that stream video. The increased capacity will allow customers to easily enjoy 4K Ultra HD content from streaming video providers.

Changes to CFU’s service plans make 2015 a great time to upgrade to gigabit internet. You can now connect to world-class internet service for $135 month if you are also a CFU Cable subscriber.

Announcing FiberNet Speed Increases in January

Iowa State Football Schedule

Donate to Add-A-Dollar Choose LED Lights2015 CFU Calendars Available

OLD SPEED (download/upload)

NEW SPEED (download/upload)

2/1 mbps FiberHome Basic 3/1 mbps16/8 mbps FiberHome 50/25 mbps

30/15 mbps FiberHome Plus 100/50 mbps50/25 mbps FiberHome Ultra 200/100 mbps

120/60 mbps FiberHome Extreme free upgrade to Quantum service1 Gigabit/500 mbps FiberHome Quantum 1 Gigabit/500 mbps

New price in 2015! Gigabit internet is only $135 per month if you also subscribe to CFU Cable. Old price: $265

Fiber Business service plans will also be upgraded in January. For details visit: www.cfu.net/internet

2015 Residential Service Speeds

Cedar Falls Utilities Newsletter • December 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

Protecting Your Information Is Important to CFU

2015 Community Calendars AvailableThe 2015 Cedar Falls Utilities

community calendar

features photographs taken

by talented local residents at

some of their favorite spots

around Cedar Falls. Thank

you to all our customers

who took the time to send

in photos. We had excellent

submissions!

Stop by the CFU customer

service office to pick up

your FREE calendar after

December 4 or call 268-5280

to have one mailed out.

When you share your personal information with CFU, it is confidential. Protecting your privacy and security is a priority.

When you supply your phone number or email address to us, we promise not to rent, sell or exchange that information. We will only use it to contact you when utility business requires us to do so.

We also take our responsibility to protect other personal information seriously. Here are some steps we take to protect you:

AT THE OFFICEIf you stop at CFU’s customer service desk to make an account update, we may ask you to show your ID to verify that you are the

account holder or an authorized user on the account. Please do not be offended if one of our staff members asks to see your ID; we are asking for your protection.

OVER THE PHONEDepending on the task, our customer service or cable and internet help desk staff may verify your identity before supplying account information or making changes. They will verify your identity by asking you the last four digits of your social security number.

If you do not have a social security number on file, you may be asked

to visit the customer service office to verify your identity with an ID before we can complete your request.

Learn About our Privacy Procedures

JANUARYFEBRUARYMARCHAPRILAARON JOHNSONDIANE HIGHNAMPAUL MCCAUGHEYCORY SMITH

MAYJUNEJULYAUGUSTLINDA KENNEDYRUTH SCHILDSTEVE FRAZIERMIKE MCKINNEY

SEPTEMBEROCTOBERNOVEMBERDECEMBERRON COLLUMMARNELL LYLELOGAN SUMMYLANE REEVES

2015 COMMUNITY

CALENDAR

In just a few seconds, you can help your neighbors in need with their heating bills.

Contribute to the Add-A-Dollar program through CFU and help local residents pay their heating costs this winter.

It is easy for CFU customers to donate. Fill out the top area of the monthly statement or use the form online.

No administrative costs are charged, so every dollar donated goes to help needy households.

Last year, 114 households received an average of $265 for a total of $30,242 in assistance.

All Add-A-Dollar contributions are tax deductible and a year-to-date report is included on the lower portion of your monthly statement.

If you would like more information about the program, please call CFU customer service at 268-5280.

Help Residents in NeedDONATE TO ADD-A-DOLLAR

In November, the CFU Board of Trustees set utility rates for 2015. No overall increase is planned for natural gas or electric bills next year. Customers will see modest adjustments to water rates and select cable TV and internet rates.

Overall, the rate increase for an average CFU customer with all utility and communications services will be less than 1.5%.

Natural Gas & ElectricityNatural gas rates will stay the same next year. The electric utility will not raise rates, but there will be a revenue-neutral rate adjustment for some customers. Some customers may see a small increase

or decrease in their bills depending on their usage patterns. For a more detailed explanation and side-by-side comparisons, please visit www.cfu.net/rates.

Water The water utility will adjust rates for most customers in 2015. The average residential customer will see an increase of $1.06 per month. The rate change will keep pace with a small rise in operating costs, and pay for planned water system improvements.

Internet & TV Basic Cable rates will go up $3 per month in 2015. This increase will help pay for the programming

fees CFU is charged by station owners. These fees are rising much faster than the rate of inflation. Internet prices will stay the same for most customers. If you are not a cable subscriber, the cost of most internet tiers will go up $2.

For a schedule of all 2015 rates and fees, please call CFU at 268-5280 or visit www.cfu.net/terms.

City ServicesAs a convenience for our customers, we also bill for city services such as storm water, refuse and yard waste. These rates are established by the City of Cedar Falls. If you have questions about their services, please call (319) 273-8600.

2015 Utility Rates Set

Choose LED Christmas LightsPeople have been lighting Christmas trees for hundreds of years. In fact, the practice of lighting trees with candles began in Germany in the 17th century.

Thomas Edison, the inventor of the first light bulb, also created the first strand of electric holiday lights in

1880. They would take some time to gain popularity. In

1900, a single strand cost nearly $300 in today’s dollars!

There is a much better way to

light your tree in 2014. If you are purchasing new holiday lights this year, consider switching to LED lights before you decorate.

LED lights are exceptionally energy efficient. Many use up to 90% less energy than an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light.

Not only do LED lights consume less energy, they are also safer, sturdier and longer lasting.

LED lights are more expensive than traditional incandescent holiday lights. However, prices

have continued to go down for the energy efficient version. Because they last longer, most customers see a rather quick payback of the initial investment in LED strands.

Magical Lights Magical NightsJoin us at the Magical Lights, Magical Nights display on Main Street to view some festive LED holiday lights. CFU is sponsoring the light and music show.

The shows start November 28 and runs every night throughout the holiday season from 6 to 8 p.m. The display is located at Santa’s’ Workshop, at the corner of 4th and Main.

Schedule of lights:• Solid Lights: 5 to 6 p.m.• Light and Music Show:

6 to 8 p.m.• Solid Lights: 8 to 10 p.m.

(weekends 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.)

Catch the holiday spirit! CFU Cable customers with a set-top box or DVR can enjoy a wide variety of seasonal songs on Stingray Music’s holiday channel. Tune to 940 (Holiday Hits) to hear familiar classic carols along with new takes on traditional songs.

Holiday HoursCustomer ServiceClosed:Christmas EveChristmas DayNew Years Day

Help DeskOpen: Christmas Eve 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Christmas Day 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.New Years Eve 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.New Years Day 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Service Update

Schedules @ cfu.net/basketball

Please note the following CFU Cable highlights and changes:

Holiday MoviesIn the mood for a holiday movie? The Hallmark Channel (channel 36/HD436) features a new original holiday movie every Saturday in December at 7 p.m.

The original holiday movies are also available to stream through Hallmark Channel Everywhere. To watch online or on your mobile device, sign up for a password at cfu.net/wtve.

Discovery Family Channel 102 (previously the Hub) is now named Discovery Family. The network content has not changed.

G4G4 (previously channel 106) has been discontinued by the network owners. A replacement channel will be announced when available.

Open:New Years Eve

Customer Service 268-5280MON-FRI 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.Help Desk (TV & Internet) 268-5221Tech Support: MON-FRI 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. SAT-SUN 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.Get Cable TV/Internet 268-5283Other Departments 266-1761 Gas Emergency 268-5340Electric or Water Emergency/Outage 268-6999

CONTACT CORNERW W W.C F U. N E T

E-mail: cfu@cfunet.net (general) or customerservice@cfunet.net

Notice: Water Monitoring ViolationTo ensure that Cedar Falls drinking water meets health standards, CFU tests the water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. We are also required to submit water samples to a certified laboratory for independent monitoring.

Our water utility failed to complete a required drinking water monitoring procedure in September 2014. We want you to know what happened and what we’ll do going forward to meet the standard.

On September 21, 2014 samples were collected to test for nitrate levels at Well #3, one of eight CFU wells in operation. A sample was

tested by a CFU water specialist and met the nitrate standards. However, we failed to submit a sample to a laboratory certified by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to monitor our results.

The October sample was submitted to a certified lab and the nitrate level was verified. We will continue to collect samples and properly submit them to a certified laboratory. Cedar Falls water continues to surpass all federal and state water quality standards.

For more information, please contact: Matt Trotter, Water Supervisor, at 319-268-5331 or matt.trotter@cfunet.net.

College Basketball on TVCheck cfu.net/basketball for a full schedule of UNI, Iowa and Iowa State basketball this season. We’ll update the online guide throughout the winter, so check back often.

UNI: We partner with the City Cable Division and KCRG Channel 9.2 to produce Panther Sports Network games available on channel 15/HD415. Additional games will air on other CFU cable channels and ESPN3.com.

Iowa State & Iowa: Most non-conference and Big 12/Big Ten games are available on CFU Cable or at ESPN3.com.