ITC Newsletter - Spring 2023

“I’m thrilled to welcome our new board member Kevin Cabbage with FMTCStanton.

Kevin has an impressive record of success, and I’m confident his experience and insights will be invaluable to our Board of Directors and the Aureon team.”

AUREON CONNECTIONS

A Message from Our CEO

I hope this message finds you well. I’m writing to share some exciting updates and news with you all about our company. First, thank you to our shareholders who attended our Annual Meeting last month. I’m thrilled to welcome our new board member Kevin Cabbage with FMTC-Stanton. Kevin has an impressive record of success, and I’m confident his experience and insights will be invaluable to our Board of Directors and the Aureon team. I also want to thank Doug Boone for his years of dedicated service to our company. Doug has been an integral part of our board for the last nine years, and we wish him all the best.

I commend everyone on our team for their hard work and dedication toward implementing the STIR/SHAKEN anti-robocall service for SIP-connected ITCs. We now offer Session Border Controller (SBCaaS) service that complements STIR/SHAKEN for ITCs who cannot originate a SIP invite from their switch for SHAKEN. Please reach out to your account manager for more details. It is a testament to providing the best possible service to our ITCs.

As our industry continues to have new leaders, I’m pleased to announce that we will provide a New General Manager/CEO Training and Luncheon on May 24 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. This is an opportunity to learn about Aureon and all we can offer to support your business. While it is an introductory overview, it is open to any GM/CEO that wants to attend.

Finally, I want to remind everyone that we have some exciting product features coming up that I’m sure you will find beneficial. Look at the Product Spotlight videos in the newsletter highlighting STIR/SHAKEN, Microsoft Cloud services, and hardware and software products. We are committed to providing the best products and services to you, our valued Partners, and our growing Client base.

Thank you for your continued support and investment in our company. We value our partnership with each ITC and look forward to sharing more updates with you soon.

Best regards, Scott Behn - CEO

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Q & A with Mary Phillips, General Manager

What inspired you to pursue a career in telecommunications?

Connect with

Mary Phillips General Manager

I attended Marshalltown Community College and graduated with a clerical certificate. My sister-in-law was simultaneously offered jobs at Minerva Valley and a school. She accepted the job offer at the school and then told the manager at Minerva Telephone that I was looking for a job. I was hired part-time as a Customer Service Representative and worked my way up into various roles throughout my career. I am from Zearing and enjoy working locally and helping the community. I’m pleased that this has become my career. What advice would you give to someone else considering a career in telecom?

I would say to learn as much as possible even if it’s not directly part of your job. Try to learn more about the industry, equipment, and every area, even if you work in customer service or bookkeeping. I would also say to ask many questions and don’t be afraid to ask questions. I think that is the best way to learn and get advice from other people. We are all in the same boat, and everyone’s willing to help everyone out. Asking questions is the key.

What do you think is the most exciting development in telecommunications right now?

The most exciting development is how reliable, fast, and affordable the internet offerings have become for everyone in our area due to bringing fiber to the home. Every day, there is something new that people can use with the internet to enhance their lives. It is easier for people to be at home. I think the advancement in internet technology equipment has improved people’s daily lives, entertainment, education, work life, and health because now they can work from home or even video their doctor. The advancements are exciting for me. Technology has been a tremendous help for people, even though sometimes I get frustrated that there is so much of it. Sometimes, I feel like, gosh, let’s shut this stuff off for a while. But when you look at it, it has helped our lives. It would be fantastic to sit down and consider how many ways technology has helped people.

What excites you about your role at Minerva Valley?

After being the Office Manager and Business Manager for a few years, I was recently named General Manager. What excites me now is all the possibilities of being the premier broadband provider in the area and the opportunities it will continue to provide for people, such as enhancing their daily life, education, and ability to work and do things from home. That excites me, and we will continue to help people in those ways while improving their lives.

Final thoughts to share with our readers?

I have been in the industry for a long time. It has always been an incredibly challenging, but positive industry, and I have always appreciated my opportunity to work in this field.

Located in central Iowa, Minerva Valley Telephone Company sits in Zearing. The St. Anthony Cooperative Telephone Association and the Zearing Telephone Association merged in 1956, and in 1957 the Clemons Mutual Telephone Company joined, and they changed the name to Minerva Valley Telephone Companies, Inc. Minerva Creek, which runs through the three communities, inspires the name.

Minerva Valley Telephone started with hand crank telephones and, throughout the years, has progressed to offer fiber optic cable and digital services that include voice, internet, and video. Minerva Valley Companies has served its customers for over sixty years and counting. They operate in McCallsburg, Clemons, Zearing, Saint Anthony, and surrounding rural areas.

- Mary Phillips, General Manager

“What excites me now is all the possibilities of being the premier broadband provider in the area and the opportunities it will continue to provide for people, such as enhancing their daily life, education, and ability to work and do things from home.”

DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT

Aureon Contact Center Solutions

The Aureon Contact Center helps deliver exceptional customer experiences that build customer loyalty. We understand that relationships are the foundation of business. We rely on integrated telecommunication and technology platforms to facilitate efficient and reliable customer support. Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems immediately route calls based on priority and agent skill level. A robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) ticketing system accurately tracks customers and issues. Aureon Contact Center agents have a customized omnichannel system to reference customer history and provide superior troubleshooting assistance quickly. Our customer care is a perfect complement to your products and services—and there’s no better way to build brand loyalty than to join up with Aureon’s Contact Center Solutions for support.

Learn more about Aric Birchmier and his team as he discusses his role at the Aureon Contact Center Solutions and the work he does.

How long have you been with Aureon and what was your journey to your current role?

I have been with Aureon for six months. I have been in contact centers my entire career working in various roles with organizations in multiple industries.

On a day-to-day level who are the key stakeholders that you interact with?

Day to day, I work with potential clients, current clients, my contact center leadership team, the Executive leadership team, and multiple other departments, including Marketing, Finance, and IT.

What do you love most about Aureon?

The people are the best part of Aureon! From day one, everyone has been incredibly welcoming. I have been thrilled that the organization focuses on the key goals of revenue and EBITDA, partners across the three divisions, and is open to making changes.

Is there anything additional you would like to share with the shareholders?

The Aureon Contact Center is filled with incredibly talented people focused on doing whatever it takes to help our clients succeed. Our daily challenge is identifying new ways for our clients to increase customer satisfaction and drive improved performance.

What excites you about coming to work each day? Working towards the goals of the Contact Center and Aureon.

Describe the impact of your department’s work. We focus on helping our clients improve their performance by providing world-class customer service and technical support. Our goal is to allow our clients to focus on their core business.

What are some goals your department is focusing on?

Our most significant focus is bringing in new clients to grow the business, providing excellent service to our existing clients, increasing revenue, improving EBITDA, and providing opportunities for our employees to grow in their careers.

Aric Birchmier President - Contact Center Solutions

Aureon Partners with Alpine Communications through the Ripple Effect Program to Address Childcare Needs in Clayton County

Clayton County Development Group and area partners teamed up to address the growing need for quality daycare in Clayton County, Iowa. Local organizations are applying for the Rural Child Care Market Student Grant through the State of Iowa, which requires applicants to demonstrate investment in the project process by providing a $5,000 match. Aureon and Alpine Communications donated a total of $2,000 for this project. The grant funds will go towards funding a county-wide daycare needs assessment, which will help identify the most pressing childcare needs in the area.

Chris Hopp, General Manager at Alpine Communications, said, “Alpine Communications is happy to support the Clayton County Development Group with the childcare assessment study for Clayton County. Quality childcare is vital in our communities. We hope this study helps identify solutions for families that help them grow and thrive in northeast Iowa. We appreciate the work CCDG has put into the grant and the partnership with Aureon in helping move this project forward.”

South Slope Cooperative Communications and Aureon’s Donation to Dr. Binkowski through the Ripple Effect Program Helps Provide Dental Care to Underserved Communities

Dr. Binkowski is a 2023 recipient of an educational loan repayment award from Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists (FIND). The FIND program helps dentists establish dental practices in designated Iowa priority counties where access to dental care is limited. Recipients must devote a percentage of their services to individuals who disproportionately face barriers to accessing care, such as those enrolled in Medicaid, older adults, and other underserviced populations. Dr. Daniel Binkowski received $2,500 in grant funds through the Ripple Effect program.

“I’m happy to have the community support from South Slope and Aureon to help me see patients at my office, many of whom are patients in need of Medicaid or some form of it. I appreciate your support,” said Dr. Binkowski.

“South Slope is proud to support Dr. Binkowski, as he provides necessary dental care for our rural and underserved community and co-op members,” said Bre Horstman, Business Development Manager.

Stanton Technology Park Utilities Visualization Tools for Business Development

Members from FMTC-Stanton, the Stanton Community Foundation (SCF), and the Iowa Area Development Group met in Stanton to present a $3,000 check to SCF. The funds will go towards marketing visualization tools to assist with business development for the new Stanton Technology Park. SCF and other local leaders are embarking on an initiative to use these tools to help recruit tech companies to the Tech Park, which offers state-of-the-art fiber internet. An engineering firm is developing 3D renderings, images, and aerial video to showcase Tech Park and its capabilities.

In addition to Ripple Effect funds, Southwest Iowa REC donated $2,500 towards the project, matching FMTC – Stanton’s donation of $3,000. The visualization tools will help Stanton market Tech Park, a new community trail, and local amenities. The

video will play a role in the community’s marketing efforts. They will have an impact on prospective companies considering Stanton to do business.

images and

Pictured l-r: Ethan Pitt (Ripple Effect Program Director), Jessica Larsen (Aureon Communications Specialist), Darla Kelchen, (Clayton County Development Group Executive Director), and Chris Hopp (Alpine Communications General Manager).

Pictured l-r: Ethan Pitt (Ripple Effect Program Director), Dr. Daniel Binkowski (Iowa Wisdom Teeth), Jessica Larsen (Aureon Communications Specialist), and Bre Horstman (South Slope Cooperative Communications Business Development Manager)

Pictured l-r: Kevin Cabbage (FMTC-Stanton), Justin Miller (Stanton Community Foundation), Ethan Pitt (Ripple Effect Program Director), and Jenna Ramsey (Stanton Community Foundation).

Aureon and Templeton Telephone Company Creates Home Run with New Ballpark Facilities for Iowa Community

Templeton Telephone Company and Aureon joined hands to contribute to constructing a new facility at the ballpark in Templeton. Aureon donated $4,873.82, and Templeton Telephone matched it with $5,000, creating a ripple effect that will benefit the community for years. The new facility will feature restrooms, an open covered patio with Wi-Fi capabilities, concessions, and storage, all to enhance visitors’ experiences.

“The new concession stand will be much more functional and accessible for all to use. The ballpark is a great asset to our small community, provides opportunities for our residents, and draws many visitors to Templeton for the events held there,” said Joe Beherns, Development Group Director. “Residents and businesses have been generous in donating to this project. We have also been fortunate to receive several grants, including the Aureon Award. This is another successful project spearheaded by dedicated local volunteers in Templeton.”

Construction will be complete for the sub-state baseball tournament held this summer. The local ballpark hosts many activities throughout the year, including youth baseball, slow-pitch and fast-pitch adult league softball, and community events such as the annual July 3 Street dance and concert.

“Aureon is proud of our support to rural communities through the Ripple Effect program. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of this project on the community for years to come,” said Scott

Behn, Aureon CEO.

Security Corner

By Jordan Neal - IT Security Engineer

Risk acceptance, in short, is knowing that vulnerabilities may exist but having a good reason for not immediately remediating the issue. Risk acceptance can involve cybersecurity, physical security, and decision-making when managing your workforce. Proper risk acceptance avoids negligent decisionmaking. When you work through risk acceptance, you should consider the following:

1. Identify and prioritize vulnerabilities: The first step is to identify and prioritize the vulnerabilities in the system based on their likelihood and potential impact on the organization.

2. Evaluate the potential impact: Assess the potential impact of each vulnerability on the organization, including the cost of repairs, disrupted services, loss of customer trust, and potential fines associated with lost or compromised data.

3. Evaluate the cost of addressing the vulnerability: Evaluate the cost of managing the exposure, including the time, effort, and resources required to fix it.

4. Perform a cost-benefit analysis: Compare the vulnerability’s potential impact to the cost of remediation to determine whether addressing the issue outweighs the potential impact of a breach.

5. Develop a plan: If the decision is to accept the risk, develop a plan to address the vulnerability, including a timeline for resolution, monitoring, and risk reassessment.

6. Regularly review and reassess: Regularly review and reassess the decision to accept the risk, especially if there are any changes to the organization’s risk profile or threat landscape.

Risk acceptance can be a valid risk management strategy based on a cost-benefit analysis and a clear plan for resolution. However, it should be a balanced approach to managing risk, and the potential cost of a breach must always be considered. With a proactive approach to risk management, organizations can minimize their vulnerabilities and protect themselves from potential cyber threats.

Pictured l-r: Ethan Pitt (Ripple Effect Program Director), Lee Wuebker (General Manager of Templeton Telephone/ Corn Belt Telephone), Jessica Larsen (Communications Specialist, Aureon), Larry Sporrer (Development Group President), and Joe Behrens (Development Group Director).

Legislative Update

By Ray Warner, Manager - Industry Affairs

Technology Related Proposed Legislation

Video Franchise

This bill was signed into law by Governor Reynolds on April 28. The bill updates the Video Franchise rules and states that no franchise is needed for OTT services.

House File 250

Consumer Data Protection

This bill that was signed into law by Governor Reynolds on March 28 and provides consumers with the right to know what companies have processed of their personal data. The bill would be applicable to Iowa businesses that control/process personal data of over 99,999 consumers or control/process personal data of 25,000 consumers with 50% of their gross revenue obtained from the sale of personal data. While it would be preferred that a uniform standard be established at the federal level, Iowa is only the sixth state in the nation to provide consumers with rights to their personal data.

Senate File 262

Ransomware

This bill that was signed into law by Governor Reynolds on May 11 and makes ransomware use illegal in Iowa and outlines criminal penalties if doing so. The bill makes exceptions for law enforcement, training, education, and research purposes. Not only is this bill a crucial step in providing cyber protection for Iowa businesses, but it is also a big step forward in advancing Iowa as a technology-forward state.

House File 143

CYISM

This bill establishes a cybersecurity simulation training center at Iowa State University to conduct cyber threat and mitigation research and training. The center will be available to businesses, state agencies, students, and educators for training exercises, case studies, competitions, and cybersecurity workforce development efforts.

Senate File 402

Cyber Affirmative Defense

This bill was signed into law by Governor Reynolds on May 3 and it stipulates that if an entity follows a set of industry-recognized guidelines in their cybersecurity protection procedures and experiences a data breach, it qualifies for protection from a tort claim alleging that the entity’s failure to implement reasonable information security controls resulted in a breach of data that exposed restricted or personal information.

Senate File 495

View other legislative updates at the federal level by viewing Aureon Core

Network Updates

April showers bring May flowers. Just as accurate as Spring thaw brings construction season. Locates, fiber cuts, and outages are always a challenge. We can’t control the person on the backhoe. All we can do is control how we design and implement a redundant network. That helps us ensure that the Friday afternoon push by the contractor running late on his project, causing a fiber cut for one more bucket of dirt, doesn’t interrupt services for our shareholders and clients.

Scott Johnson Senior VIce President –Engineering Operations

Over the past four years, we have significantly improved the electronics and our fiber footprint to help improve our uptime. This year is no different. We are placing 135 miles of new transport fiber—some to replace smaller older count fiber sections. Other projects are to help create more redundancies and opportunities. Not only is redundancy top of mind but so is our ability to support the ever-growing need for more bandwidth. We recently upgraded our core ring to 300G. PoP site NNIs are being upgraded to support the increase in 10G requests from our wireless carrier clients. Aureon has also increased the bandwidth to the carrier MTSOs (Mobile Telephone Switching Offices). The upgrade was needed to support the aggregate delivery of the traffic we deliver to each wireless carrier client.

The push for migrating services out of our Merchant’s building in downtown Des Moines to our new site at 616 10th St. is in its final phase. We will have completed moving all the ITC switch traffic from the Nortel DMS tandem to our new Ribbon platform by the second week of May. I have much gratitude to all that participated in this move. We couldn’t have done this without all your cooperation and support. The action took many maintenance windows over the last eight months to complete. Once this is complete, we can focus on moving shareholders from TDM to SIP and support Stir/Shaken. Please don’t hesitate to contact your ITC Account Manager if you would like to schedule that conversion for your network.

Another area of focus for the migration is our video product. We have successfully migrated all our encoders out of Merchants as of the last week of April. We anticipate migrating the remainder of the video network to 616 by the end of June. You may have seen many maintenance window notices over the last few weeks. The maintenance is necessary as we migrated a subset of encoders/channels each night. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we move this to a new, more robust PoP site. There are many other aspects to this migration — too many to list. The final goal is to be lights out by 12/31/23. Please reach out with any questions. Until the next time, enjoy the May flowers and hopefully we can avoid the backhoe bucket.

SOLUTION HIGHLIGHTS & UPDATES

Microsoft Cloud Services

Aureon offers widespread support, deployment, and usage of Microsoft’s cloud services such as Microsoft 365. In addition to Microsoft 365, Aureon can also help your organization by installing and supporting other Microsoft solutions including: Azure, Exchange Online, Audio Conferencing, Defender for Office 365, Power BI Pro, Visio and Microsoft Project. As well as Office suite, including Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, Office, and Microsoft Teams to keep your teams operating efficiently.

Click the image to view Product Manager Chris Peterson as he explains how the products benefit your business.

STIR/SHAKEN

Aureon offers STIR/SHAKEN to support Traced Act compliance on the IP portions of your network. STIR/SHAKEN is the FCC’s mandated framework for identifying and stopping unlawful robocalling, by ensuring your company has protection against originating these types of calls, and to reduce effects of the calls that may attempt to terminate to your voice customers.

Click the image to view Product Manager Jessica Schlesselman as she explains how this product benefits your business.

Hardware & Software Solutions

Aureon collaborates with numerous vendors, such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo, to provide clients with various hardware and software solutions. Because of our partnerships, Aureon must maintain specific manufacturer training certifications. Our preparation brings additional knowledge to what Aureon offers our clients. Additionally, keeping our list of vendors from expanding to an enormous number allows Aureon to keep management costs down and time to implementation to a minimum.

Click the image to view Product Manager Chris Peterson as he explains our products and how they benefit your business.

STIR/SHAKEN and the Threat of Illegal Robocalling is a Hot Topic; Aureon is Here to Help You Stir Up the Right Solution

By Jessica Schlesselman - Product Manager

Since 2019, Congress’s Traced Act and the FCC’s subsequent orders have been trying to tackle unlawful robocalls, a top consumer complaint, for more than a decade. You’ve probably heard of STIR/SHAKEN, the SIP-based call identity attestation framework mandated by the Traced Act. But what is SHAKEN, and what do carriers with TDM and TDM/SIP hybrid networks need to do to be Traced Act compliant?

STIR stands for Secure Telephone Identity Revisited. SHAKEN is an acronym for Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs. As of June 30, 2023, carriers must implement SHAKEN on the SIP portions of their networks. Carriers deploying SHAKEN must register with the SHAKEN Policy Administrator, iConectiv, and receive a SHAKEN Service Provider Code (SPC). This SPC enables the carrier to secure a SHAKEN vendor and grants the carrier access to the SHAKEN trust network.

SHAKEN relies on SIP-based identity tokens attached to a call at the point of origination. That token is then delivered with the call to the terminating user with a header displaying the calling number’s attestation or trust level. SHAKEN ensures that called parties can identify and avoid calls delivered with poor attestation, indicating that the call has originated from a less trustworthy party. Additionally, it ensures that originating carriers can attest to the validity of calling numbers from their exchange. This trust-based framework will improve call completion rates for valid calls and reduce the incidence of unlawful robocalls being answered by the called party.

For in-band deployment, SHAKEN requires end-to-end SIP connectivity. If any portion of the call path is TDM, the information contained in the SIP header will be dropped, and the call will be delivered to the terminating user with no attestation. Therefore, the SHAKEN mandate now only applies to carriers with SIP-based facilities able to transmit calls to the edge of or within their network.

Many carriers maintain TDM facilities to support connections to other carriers and their tandem provider. While TDM networks are exempt from the STIR/SHAKEN mandate, the carriers still need an effective and documented robocall mitigation plan within the FCC’s robocall mitigation database (RMD). For many carriers, the plan often includes a service such as Caller ID Authentication, which uses analytics and other tools to determine the likelihood that a calling number generates a robocall and blocks the call accordingly.

If your company maintains SIP connectivity to another carrier or switch, that portion of your network is likely subject to the June 30, 2023, mandate for SHAKEN implementation.

Most of Aureon’s subtending ITCs will continue under the TDM exemption until they migrate to SIP connectivity to the Aureon tandem.

No matter where your company is in its SIP transition, Aureon is ready to help. See our Product Spotlight for more information on solutions provided by Aureon to combat illegal robocalls.

See also: https://authenticate.iconectiv.com https://www.fcc.gov/robocall-mitigation-database

Aureon Charity Grants

Q1 Charity Grant Recipients

Organization Sponsor Project

Amana Benefited Fire District South Slope Thermal imaging cameras.

Amana Heritage Society South Slope A theft, fire and water security system.

Belmond Historical Society Communications 1 A new divider wall.

Britt Park and Recreation Board Communications 1 A new practice infield.

Calamus-Wheatland Hometown Pride F&B Communications New equipment.

Carroll Area Child Care Center and Preschool Western Iowa Networks/Breda Telephone Firehoses and nozzles.

City of Cascade Cascade Communications iPads, USB scanner, chip card reader, stand, ID photo camera, and software.

City of Hills Sharon Telephone Company A bike rack and bike service station.

City of La Porte City LPC Connect A bubble station, balloon artist, and musicians for family fun night.

City of Lawton WiaTel A new welcome to Lawton sign.

City of Odebolt Sac County Mutual Telephone Company

Repairing overhead light poles.

City of Palo Palo Communications Playground rubber mats.

City of Preston Preston Telephone Company Fitcourse course.

City of Westside Western Iowa Networks HVAC system.

Clayton County Conservation Alpine Communications UV sterilizer bulbs.

Dunkerton Community Hall Dunkerton Communications New countertops, cupboards, and a handicap accessible entrance.

Hornick Town Hall WiaTel A new refrigerator.

Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa South Slope Items for the storefront.

Kossuth County Sheriffs Office Lone Rock Cooperative Telephone Company A green phosphorus PVS-14 gen 3 night vision monocular.

Lake View Foundation Corn Belt Telephone Company Holiday lights.

Little Royals Daycare Westel Systems Portable rest cots.

LPC Chamber of Commerce LPC Connect Face painter and balloon person for family fun night.

Midland Track & Field Wyoming Mutual Telephone Company New hurdles.

Miles Community Improvement Group Miles Cooperative Telephone Association New playground equipment.

MMCRU Elementary School Playground Westel Systems A sandbox and water table.

Motor Mill Foundation Alpine Communications A stand, iPad, and cash drawer.

MU SCPC Farmers Mutual Communications A We-Go-Round.

New Providence & Progress Heart of Iowa Communications Cooperative New roof and exterior of the building.

North Liberty Community Pantry South Slope Purchase of computers and equipment.

Ringsted Evening Out Club RingTel Communications Landscaping and rubber mulch.

Ruthven Public Library River Valley Telecommunications Co-op Reading materials and tablets.

Safe Haven of Iowa County South Slope Room dividers. Sioux Rapids Fire Fighters Association Inc. Evertek, Inc. d/b/a/ United Farmers Telephone Company PPE.

Wall Lake REC Corn Belt Telephone Company A Shoot-A-Way Gun.

Walnut Community Center Foundation Marne Elk Horn A smart TV.

West Linn Community Group Palo Communications Items for the Palo Methodist Church food pantry.

Wishes for Wildlife Foundation South Slope

Planting food plots.

Woodbury Central Archery WiaTel Archery equipment.

Woodbury Central Community School WiaTel Six desktop units with monitors.

Woodbury County Library WiaTel New computers.

Through the Aureon Charity grant program, non-profit agencies from participating ITC communities can apply for grants for community-based projects that will create a positive impact. Read more about the organizations that are Quarter 1 for 2023 Aureon Charity Grant recipients on Aureon Core.

Welcome Danielle Hutchinson to Aureon!

Aureon has hired a new ITC Account Manager. Danielle Hutchinson has joined the crew and will represent Aureon for the eastern part of Iowa. Danielle has been in the communications industry for 18 years and is excited to join the Aureon team!

Thank You, Doug Boone

Doug Boone, CEO of Premier Communications, has done a fantastic job serving on Aureon’s board of directors since 2014. He has brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and his contributions have been invaluable. Doug has made a lasting impact on the Board at Aureon. We appreciate you and wish you all the best in your future endeavors! Thank you, Doug, from all of us at Aureon.

ICAN Ad Insertion Partners

FREE TV Commercial Productions

Boost Local Business:

ICAN Advertising has an exciting opportunity for local businesses of Aureon’s ITCs!

Each ITC has the opportunity to REWARD a Local Business w/ a FREE 30 Second TV Commercial Production:

Your company can reward a local business that would benefit from advertising on TV with a certificate for 1 FREE production of a 30 second TV commercial. TV commercial production has a face value of $1000 each.

WHY:

As an Independent Telephone Company, you have the unique opportunity to work directly with the businesses in your area. This initiative allows local businesses to showcase their products or services to a wider audience without incurring any production costs. Once the commercial is created, the chosen business only needs to pay for the airtime they desire.

Expiration:

TV commercials must be produced by July 31st, 2023.

Contact Heidi Griffin to receive your Free Production Certificates: heidi@icanadvertising.com or (319) 261-2368

Learn more at icanadvertising.com.

Dell Technologies World

MAY 22 - 25

LAS VEGAS, NV | Mandalay Bay

Dell Technologies World is perfect for bringing together people like you who are looking to dive deeper into tomorrow’s innovations, get hands-on with emerging tech, improve their skills, and transform their organizations. Come ready to learn, celebrate and connect with your peers.

Association of Business and Industry Taking Care of Business Conference

JUNE 13 - 15

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA | Cedar Rapids Conv Complex

The Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s Taking Care of Business Conference is Iowa’s premier business conference, bringing together industry leaders to learn, network and share ideas on how to grow and strengthen Iowa’s business climate. If you are passionate about business in Iowa, you need to attend this conference.

SDN Communications Golf Classic

JUNE 22

LARCHWOOD IA | Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort

SDN Communications will be hosting their 29th Annual Gold Classic to connect business partners with golfers. SDN Communications is South Dakota’s premier business-tobusiness broadband service provider. It has the most extensive fiber-optic network in the area, moving voice, data, internet, and video over a 50,000-mile fiber-optic network.

Midwest Peering Summit

JULY 18 - 19

JOHNSTON, IA | Stoney Creek Hotel

The Midwest Peering Summit is where participants are able to hear from industry veterans and Internet Exchange (IX) operators on a range of topics, from improving efficiencies and performance, to last-mile deployments, to distribute architecture.

NTCA Finance and Account Conference

JULY 23 - 26

PORTLAND, OR | Venue TBD

NTCA is partnering with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives for TFACC, a national conference for tax, finance, and accounting professionals of rural independent companies and coops. The conference has three tracks – telco, electric, and tax and finance.

Technology Association of Iowa Eastern Iowa Tech Open

JUNE 6

CORALVILLE, IA | Brown Deer Golf Club

The 2023 Iowa Tech Open – Eastern Iowa is an opportunity for business and technology practitioners to gather for a day of golf, networking, and business development at the beautiful Brown Deer Golf Club in Coralville.

Iowa Communications Alliance Golf and Grill

JUNE 19 - 20

PANORA, IA | Lake Panorama Golf Course

The ICA Golf & Grill Classic is the most attended social event hosted by ICA. The golf event is exclusive to members only; however, they will allow non-members to attend the Monday Evening Networking BBQ. The Golf & Grill Classic is unlike your traditional group golf event where they play in SIXSOMES (instead of foursomes) so plan accordingly for your group!

INDATEL Business Symposium

JUNE 27 TO JUNE 29

CLEVLAND, OH | Hilton Cleveland Downtown

Join INDATEL Services at their 17th Annual Business Symposium which brings together their member owners/ affiliates with their supplier affiliates for several days of industry-relevant business sessions and plenty of networking opportunities.

NTCA Summer Symposium 2023

JULY 23 - 25

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL | Sawgrass Marriott

The Summer Symposium brings together board members in the rural broadband and industry from around the nation to provide strategic, forward-thinking insights on effective leadership and successful practices.

NTCA Summer Symposium 2023

JULY 30 - AUGUST 1

BLOOMINGTON, MN | Raddison Mall Of America

The Summer Symposium brings together board members in the rural broadband and industry from around the nation to provide strategic, forward-thinking insights on effective leadership and successful practices.

EVENTS CONT.

Aureon 34th Annual Golf Classic

AUGUST 1 - 2

ANKENY, IA | Various Locations

Tee up for the 34th Aureon Golf Classic! Take a break from the workforce and join us on the golf course for a day full of recreation, networking, and delicious food, drinks and more. The Aureon Classic is spread across three premier courses: Briarwood, Tournament Club of Iowa, and Otter Creek.

UNITEL Executive Summit

AUGUST 7

OMAHA, NE | Marriott Downtown at Capital District

UNITEL provides innovative insurance and risk solutions for the communications industry. The Executive Summit will discuss industry updates, market trends, and risk management trends.

NTCA HR + Benefits Conference

AUGUST 21 - 24

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD | Gaylord Ntl. Resort

The NTCA HR + Benefits is where human resources and benefit administrations get together to stay up to date with the latest in the HR and benefits arena and network to share their goals and challenges in a rural broadband environment.

Association of Business & Industry Executive Forum

AUGUST 3- 4

OKOBOJI, IA | Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center

Join ABI members and industry leaders for networking and great programming in the Iowa Great Lakes area.

Technology Association of Iowa

Central Iowa Tech Open

AUGUST 7

WEST DES MOINES, IA | Glenn Oaks Country Club

The annual Marketing + Sales Conference is the only conference of its kind, combining all aspects of marketing and sales for the rural broadband industry into one robust, high-value event.

Fiber Connect 2023

AUGUST 20 - 23

ORLANDO, FL | Gaylord Palms

Fiber Connect 2022 was one of the largest conventions in our history — and we look forward to continuing the trend in 2023. This August we will be in Orlando, Florida at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center and we expect it to be our largest, most successful event ever.

DANIELLE

J.D.

JD.Siebert@Aureon.com

TODD

Todd.VanEpps@Aureon.com CAREY

Carey.Stover@Aureon.com