West Florida Electric Cooperative Association, Inc.

WFEC rolls out a trio of tempting technologies--

Generators, DirecPC and Trueband e-Stores

Good things come in threes - at least, they do when you're talking about new services from West Florida Electric Cooperative. This summer, WFEC will begin offering three convenient, affordable, possibly even vital, technologies for your home or business.

What are you waiting for? Step right up and see what WFEC has in store for you -

Portable, standby and PTO-driven generators

Because Florida is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, and hurricane season lasts six months of every year, a backup power source is an excellent idea for any WFEC customer wanting uninterrupted electric service guaranteed. Whether your essential electrical equipment is a medical device, a cooler or computer for your business or your home's well pump, WFEC will provide a generator to meet your needs.

For your home or small business, you can choose either a standby or a portable model. For current whenever and wherever you need it, wheel the portable model up to a breaker panel to operate specific circuits, then disconnect it when not in use. Or let a WFEC contractor permanently install the standby model, which starts up automatically whenever you lose power, whether you're home or not, and even tests itself once a week. WFEC also will offer PTO-driven generators for farm use and can special-order generators for larger commercial applications.

We're adding generators to WFEC's selection of products and services in response to the strong interest expressed and numerous requests by Co-op members. For your convenience, we'll finance your generator purchase, with a down payment and approved credit, and include the payments in your electric bill. With approved credit, you also can finance 100 percent of your purchase through the Cooperative Finance Corporation's Energy Conservation Home Improvement Loan Program.

DirecPC

WFEC is preparing to offer Trueband high-speed Internet powered by DirecPC, which provides subscribers with a two-way high-speed Internet connection via satellite. DirecPC is an every-ready broadband Internet connection without dial-ups; you don't need an additional dedicated phone line to surf the Internet. DirecPC also allows you downlink speeds up to 400 kilobytes per second, eight times faster than most dial-up connections, and uplink speeds up to 128 kbps.

Internet access via satellite is ideal for remote locations or areas where DSL, cable modems or fixed wireless services aren't available. However, the service does involve certain provisions and limitations. For instance, minimum computer requirements include a Pentium II 300 MHz or greater, at least 64 MB of RAM, 20 MB of free hard drive space and at least one open USB port.

Also, DirecTV subscribers won't be able to use the same dish for their DirecPC service because of the special instrumentation needed for Internet transmissions.

Because of the satellite relay delay, DirecPC isn't recommended for certain applications, such as day trading, gaming and two-way voice over IP communication. Also, DirecPC users may experience occasional service interruptions due to signal interference, such as heavy rains cause.

However, WFEC plans to offer back-up dial-up Internet service as a bonus for DirecPC subscribers.

Trueband e-Stores

Soon your business can sell to customers around the world and around the clock with minimal extra effort or expense. Let WFEC help your business expand into the digital marketplace with an electronic storefront, an entirely new way of doing business.

Opening a WFEC Trueband e-Store allows you to simply and inexpensively build your own automated online store with an easy-to-update catalog of products. You can receive customer orders and credit card payments online, generate and view customer histories through a secure Internet connection, quickly and easily track sales and change sale items at any time.

WFEC will offer two versions - Standard and Professional - with additional modules available for adapting your e-Store's features as your online business grows. The Standard Edition, for $59.95, includes a shopping cart, billing, one to 50 products, payment options and order and product management. The Professional Edition, or Pro-Store, for $149.95, provides Standard Store features plus the ability to craft promotions and manage inventory. For either version, WFEC can set up your own domain name to help customers find your site.

Trueband e-Stores are the product of many man-hours spent developing a complete, proven system for selling online, so you don't have to hire someone to go through all the steps of setting up your business Web site from scratch. And, unlike some other e-commerce applications, an Trueband e-Store will grow with you, it's is built entirely on open standards so it works with tools you already use to run your business and it won't force you to change your business model in order to use it.

Watch for details about these new services in the August issue of Current Light Flashes.

For additional information about DirecPC or Trueband e-Stores, contact WFEC Internet Services Manager Steve Hall at (850)263-3231, ext. 1168, or Internet Technician James Efurd, ext. 1175, or e-mail webmaster@wfeca.net.

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