News 2016

DTC Communications is proud to partner with the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) in the 2016 College Scholarship Program. FRS, in cooperation with NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, seeks to sustain and enhance the quality of life throughout rural America by advancing an understanding of rural telecommunications issues. In keeping with its mission, furthering the education of rural youth is one of the foundation’s primary focuses. Our company, DTC Communications, is a member of NTCA and is proud to support FRS in this worthy endeavor.
As your local telecommunications service provider, it is our pleasure to offer this national scholarship program. Applicants must be a graduating high school senior, who is an active member or whose parents or legal guardian are an active member of DTC Communications and reside full-time in the cooperative’s service area. Active members include those who have basic telephone service from DTC Communications. Additional eligibility requirements and application instructions are available here.
Applications must be sent directly to FRS, postmarked no later than March 1, 2016. Each application must be signed by designated person from DTC. For questions or to have the application signed by designated person from DTC, please call 529-2955 and ask for scholarship representative.

The Cannon County Lions and Lionettes basketball teams will face their neighbors in Warren County one final time on the basketball court during the season when the Pioneer basketball teams pay a visit to the Robert A. Harris Gymnasium.  This will be the third time and second consecutive week that the Lionettes and Lady Pioneers meet as both teams met last Tuesday in the Sonic Shootout.  Warren County so far has won both games in the series but the Lionettes are poised for a win tonight as they will have Kelli Davis and Haylee Mooneyham who missed the previous meeting.  Autumn King missed the first game of the series.  The Lionettes are 7-10 coming into tonight’s contest.  
The Cannon County Lions will get a progress report on how their season is going in their game tonight.  The Pioneers won the earlier meeting between the two teams back in November but the Lions are improving as a team and they are getting ready for a big run for the second half of the season.
Tonight’s games at Robert A. Harris are schedule to tip off at 6:00.  Shine 107.9 AM-1540 WBRY will have the broadcasts live tonight.  The games will be streamed live over wbry.com and through WBRY by using the Tune In radio app on your smart phones and tablets.

The Cannon County Republican Party will meet on Monday January 11th, 2016 at 6:00 PM at the Cannon County Courthouse.
Special guests will be State Senator Mae Beavers and State Representative Mark Pody. Both will be discussing the upcoming state legislative session which will begin on January 12th, 2016.
They will be taking questions from the audience.
There will also be a special commendation by the Cannon County Republican Party presented during the meeting.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
 

 The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs is warning consumers about contractors making door-to-door or telephone solicitations offering to renovate or repair your home.

Often these contractors are high-pressure salespersons seeking to convince homeowners to sign a contract, and then they hire inexperienced, unlicensed individuals as “subcontractors.”

“In the wake of the December storms and the cold winter months still ahead, home repair is a priority for many Tennesseans,” TDCI Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini said. “Before signing a contract to authorize any construction or repairs, consumers should first educate themselves and verify the credentials of their contractors.”

To protect yourself, only hire licensed contractors. Visit verify.tn.gov to ensure that a contractor is properly licensed to work in the State of Tennessee. Ask the contractor who will be performing the work: contractor, his/her employee(s) or a subcontractor.

Other tips and information:

Who is required to be licensed?

Contractors (Includes Construction Managers) – Projects $25,000 or more.

Home Improvement – Projects greater than $3,000 in Bradley, Davidson, Haywood, Hamilton, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, and Shelby counties.
LLE- Limited Licensed Electrician – Jobs less than $25,000.  (Required in any municipality or county that does not issue licenses to persons who perform electrical work in the municipality or county. If a municipality or county does require such licensure then the municipal or county license must be obtained.)
LLP- Limited Licensee Plumber – Jobs less than $25,000. (Required in any municipality or county that does not issue licenses to persons who perform plumbing work in the municipality or county. If a municipality or county does require such licensure then the municipal or county license must be obtained.)
Pre-Licensed Exam Course Providers – Schools Offering Contractor Exam Prep Classes
Electrical and Plumbing Subcontractors – Jobs involving electrical and plumbing work. License required depends on value of the project. (See LLE and LLP listings above.)

Mechanical Subcontractors (e.g. HVAC) – Where the total cost of the mechanical portion of the construction project is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more.
Roofing Subcontractors – Where the total cost of the roofing portion of the construction project is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more.
Masonry Subcontractors – Where the total cost of the masonry portion of the construction project exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).

Check with your local government for codes, permits, inspections and business licenses.

Make sure the contractor obtains a permit for code inspections. For more information about codes enforcement, click here.

View the Regulatory Board’s Disciplinary Actions Reports to check the contractor’s complaint and discipline history.
Always obtain more than one estimate.

Get a written contract. Click here for “A Consumer’s Guide to Home Improvement Contracts.”

Ask who will be performing the work. Often, the contractor is a “salesman” and may subcontract the work to inexperienced, unlicensed individuals misclassified as a subcontractor paid in cash, for the contractor to avoid taxes.

Ask for proof of insurance.

Never pay cash. Do not pay the total amount before the work is complete. Do not turn over your insurance check. Consider paying with a credit card for special protection.

If a contractor accepts payment without performing the work, this may be considered felony theft. Review Tennessee law to view steps to prosecute through your local district attorney’s office.

It is unlawful for an “unlicensed” contractor to file a lien if they are required to be licensed.

The American Legion Post 279 has announce that it will meet on Thursday, January 21, 2016,
at 6:30PM, at the Senior Citizens Center. (No meal will be served prior to the meeting)National Headquarters and State Headquarters has increased their annual dues for 2017 to a combined total of $31.00, this is a $1.00 more that we are currently paying.  For 2016 local Legion members pay $30.00 and the local organizationgets back $6.50 for each paid member. For 2017 with their increase, the minimum dues for the Post would be $31.00 with nothing coming back to the Post, all going to National and State.  The Executive Board voted to recommend that Post 279 raise the dues to $40.00, for 2017, which means that $9.00 will be returned to the Post for each paid member.   Post 279 has 110 members, if they all pay their dues for 2017, that would equate to $990.00 coming back to the Post, which would be used to fund the scholarship program which provides a $1000.00 scholarship annually to a Veteran’s dependent for college, a community college, a technical school, truck driving school, an
EMT course, medical course, or any special training course.      The 2016 Budget will be presented at the meeting and their will be a vote on the 2017 dues.
 

The Tennessee Comptroller’s Fraud, Waste and Abuse Hotline is marking a record achievement in its effort to help uncover the misuse of government funds and property.
Confidential tips to the hotline helped to identify a record $1,112,500 in confirmed thefts, shortages and questioned costs for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015. These tips were reported through telephone calls and online submissions to the hotline.
This year’s notifications concerned a wide range of entities including municipalities, counties, state agencies, federal agencies, and non-profit recipients of government funds. Substantive notifications are reviewed and investigated by Comptroller staff or referred to the appropriate agency or program for further action.
Since October 1983, the Comptroller of the Treasury has provided a toll-free hotline for any citizen to report government fraud, waste and abuse. Additionally, all state agencies, as well as agencies receiving community grant funds, are required to call attention to the hotline by posting a sign in a prominent place.
“The hotline plays an important role in holding government accountable to its citizens,” said Comptroller Justin P. Wilson. “While I’m pleased to see the hotline is serving its purpose, the ultimate goal is to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in government.”
If you suspect fraud, waste or abuse of public money in Tennessee, call the Comptroller’s toll-free hotline at (800) 232-5454 FREE, or file a report online at: www.comptroller.tn.gov/hotline

As a result of the two previous losses, the Lionettes were in the 7th
place game of the Sonic Shootout Wednesday. Their opponent McMinn County
out of Athens Tennessee came into the game a little disappointed after a
heartbreaking two point loss to Portland Tuesday afternoon. The Lionettes
showed fatigue after two difficult games and as a result spent most of the
game making fundamental mistakes, missing free throws while McMinn County
took their frustrations out on the Lionettes collecting a 64-41 win and
seventh place in the tournament. Cannon County committed 30 turnovers in
the game which was uncharacteristic of them coming into the contest.
Lionettes also once again showed frustration at the free throw line as
they only hit 15-26 from the charity stripe. Neither team wanted the ball
in the first quarter as the Lady Cherokees jumped out to a 10-5 lead. The
Lady Cherokees then started converting the Lionette turnovers to points as
they outscored Cannon 21-7 to lead by 19 at halftime. Maleah Scott scored
a team high 21 points in the loss and Autumn King finished with 15.
Cannon goes into 2016 with a 7-10 overall record.

High School Basketball teams that compete in the same district usually do not like to face each other in holiday tournaments where the games won’t count in the district standings.  The belief is that coaches don’t like to give a hands on preview of what their team might run offensively and how they handle situations defensively in an otherwise extra game in the regular season series between the two participating teams.  The consolation game of the Sonic Shootout ended up pitting District 8-AA members Cannon County vs Livingston in a boys basketball contest Wednesday night in Sparta.  Both coaches didn’t mind the extra meeting and used the contest to get their teams ready for the second half of the season.  The Lions came out in the first quarter sluggish as they turned the ball over several times.  Livingston was able to get out to an 11-0 start before Cannon scored their first field goal with 2:43 left to play in the first quarter.  Once again just like in previous games where teams jumped ahead against Cannon, Livingston was able to maintain a comfortable margin lead on the Lions and picked up third place beating Cannon County 58-51.  Austin Martin who received All Tournament Team selection scored 24 points while Briar Jakes added 12.  The Lions fall to 6-11 on the year.
 

A new Tennessee law can help parents “freeze out” out ID thieves and scammers aiming to pilfer the private information of teens or the information of a person to whom a guardian or conservator has been appointed.
Passed by the General Assembly earlier this year, Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-18-2111 gives parents or legal guardians the ability to enact a security freeze on persons under 16 years of age or an incapacitated person under the care of a guardian or conservator. When the freeze is in place, consumer reporting agencies (e.g. TransUnion, Equifax, Experian) cannot release that person’s credit report or any other information regarding that person unless the security freeze is removed. This prevents others from requesting information, but it may also prevent you from allowing others to access that information quickly should that become necessary in the future.
“As threats to individuals’ personal information seemingly grow more prevalent every day, this law gives parents and guardians an important tool to help protect valuable information from falling into the hands of people who should not have it,” Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Deputy Commissioner Bill Giannini said. “I advise Tennesseans to take precautions to protect their personal information and the information of their loved ones.”
In order to enact a freeze, the requestor must have valid proof of identification and contact the consumer reporting agency directly to request that the freeze be put in place. As the protected consumer’s representative, the requestor must submit sufficient proof of both your identification and the identification of the protected consumer. You must also provide sufficient proof of authority to act on behalf of the protected consumer and pay the fee, if any, charged by the agency.
The law applies to credit reporting agencies and not consumer report monitoring services.
Here’s a FAQ for citizens interested in this legislation:
How do I request a security freeze for a Protected Consumer? You must contact the consumer reporting agency to request that the freeze be placed. As the protected consumer’s representative, you must submit sufficient proof of both your identification and the identification of the protected consumer. You must also provide sufficient proof of authority to act on behalf of the protected consumer and pay the fee, if any, charged by the agency. The maximum fee for placing or lifting a freeze for a Protected Consumer is $10 for each action.
What is sufficient proof of identification? Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-18-2111(a)(6), sufficient proof of identification is “information or documentation that identifies a protected consumer or the protected consumer’s representative”. This includes “[a] Social Security Number or a copy of a social security card issued by the social security administration”, “[a] certified or official copy of a certificate of birth issued by the entity authorized to issue the certificate of birth”, “[a] copy of a valid driver license or any other government-issued identification”, or “[a] copy of a bill, including a bill for telephone, sewer, septic tank, water, electric, oil, or natural gas services, that shows a name and home address.”
What is sufficient proof of authority? Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-18-2111(a)(5), sufficient proof of authority is “documentation that shows a representative has authority to act on behalf of a protected consumer”. Sufficient proof of authority includes “[a]n order issued by a court of law”, “[a] lawfully executed and valid power of attorney”, and “[a] written, notarized statement signed by a representative that expressly describes the authority of the representative to act on behalf of a protected consumer.”
How do I lift a security freeze for a Protected Consumer?
If you are the Protected Consumer: You must provide proof that the authority of the representative is no longer valid and proof of your identification, as well as paying the fee, which cannot exceed $10.00.
If you are the Representative: You must provide sufficient proof of identification for the protected consumer and the representative. You must also provide sufficient proof of authority to act on behalf of the protected consumer as well as paying the fee, which cannot exceed $10.00.
Once a valid request to lift a security freeze is received, the consumer reporting agency must lift the freeze within 30 days.                
Who does this law apply to?
The three major Consumer Reporting Agencies are TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. The law, under Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-18-2111 does not apply to consumer report monitoring services that the protected consumer applied for or that the representative applied for on their behalf, a consumer reporting agency providing a report to the protected consumer or the protected consumer’s representative, a consumer reporting agency that acts only as a reseller of credit information by aggregating information (although they must honor a security freeze placed by another consumer reporting agency), “[a] check services or fraud prevention services company that issues reports on incidents of fraud or authorizations for the purpose of approving or processing negotiable instruments, electronic funds transfers, or similar methods of payments”, “[a] deposit account information service company that issues reports regarding account closures due to fraud, substantial overdrafts, automatic teller machine abuse, or similar negative information regarding a consumer to inquiring banks or other financial institutions for use only in reviewing a consumer request for a deposit account at the inquiring bank or financial institution, or a consumer reporting agency database used for certain purposes.

 The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance’s (TDCI) Consumer Insurance Services Division announces that more than $2.8 million was repaid in 2015 as a result of the department’s restitution efforts on behalf of Tennessee consumers.
“The Department is an advocate for Tennessee consumers from all walks of life,” TDCI Assistant Commissioner, Insurance Division Michael Humphreys said. “The repayment this year of more than $2.8 million was the result of our insurance investigators mediating between the company and policyholders in order to get denied claims overturned and paid for the policyholder.”
For January through December of 2015, TDCI-assisted consumers received $2,873,222.12, including $515,636.64 received in the month of December alone. By comparison, TDCI provided over $6.3 million in restitution during 2014, which includes the overturning of a large commercial claim in excess of $2 million.
The Department encourages policyholders to remember that filing a complaint or otherwise contacting TDCI is always an option if they are ever denied a claim or even have a question or concern about their insurance policies.
Consumers should always remember a few handy tips for working with their insurance companies:
Do your homework before purchasing a policy for any line of insurance.
Read the policies so you’ll know and understand its provisions before filing a claim.
Verify that the company and the agent are licensed in Tennessee before you buy. Visit our website to verify license status.
Look up complaint data to see how well a company is responding to consumer issues.
Homeowners should always keep pictures and/or receipts for all contents on your property. (Most fire losses leave nothing.) Digital tools such as MyHome Scr.APP.book lets you quickly capture images and descriptions of your belongings to help you determine how much insurance you need and for filing a claim.
For auto policies, know your coverage limits and what is required by state law. The WreckCheck app guides you through the steps to take following an auto accident.
For health policies, make sure your doctor and/or healthcare facility is participating in the network of your insurance carrier.
For life insurance policies, depending upon age and health status, you may or may not be eligible for certain products. If you have never purchased a life insurance policy before, you may seek the assistance of a licensed agent to help you make the choice that is best suited for your personal needs.
Questions? We can help. Contact us at 1-800-342-4029 FREE or (615) 741-2218.