Despite economic struggles nationwide and vast changes in the world of telecommunications, Molalla Communications announced to members last Saturday that their company remains viable and profitable.

The local phone and Internet provider held their annual meeting in conjunction with a free summer concert for all members July 30 at the Molalla Buckeroo rodeo grounds, drawing nearly 1,500 people. The concert featured local bands Sawtell and Levi and Portland band Cloverdayle, along with headlining country rock singer Matt Kennon.

Members could pick up checks at the event with their portion of MCC’s profits payout.

“It’s the distinct pleasure of the board to be able to provide this economic stimulus to our community,” said Marci Marsh, MCC Board of Directors chairperson.

Since July of 2010, MCC has paid back more than $2.25 million to its members, MCC President and CEO Steve Loutzenhiser said. Members who did not pick up checks at the event will receive them by mail.

The MCC board held a 30-minute meeting in between the live music and free food and activities offered at the event, updating members on their year and re-electing board members Dale Settje and Marci Marsh.

Bruce Nakamura of Moss Adams, a certified public accounting firm, said they audited MCC and found no concerns, nor did they have any difficulties when gathering information for the audit from MCC management. Marsh said the MCC board’s number one goal is to maintain a viable company for its membership and support the community.

Throughout the year, MCC donates sponsorships and grants for various community programs, events and nonprofit organizations, such as the Molalla Buckeroo, Relay for Life, Molalla High School drama productions, National Night Out, the Molalla River Education Foundation, Molalla Youth Sports and many others. They also provide scholarships to local high school seniors.

As they seek to maintain a viable company, MCC faces the need to change along with technological developments. Landline voice service is annually declining at rates of 5 to 15 percent nationwide, Loutzenhiser said. Business appears to be shifting from the traditional phone line to landline broadband/high speed Internet service.

“Many of our children will never have or need landline service,” Loutzenhiser said. “Just this week, I read that 30 percent of American households do not have a landline phone.”

Loutzenhiser said the changing trends indicate positive progress for Americans, but also require telecommunications companies to revamp their services.

“We believe change is an opportunity,” Loutzenhiser said. “We either change or we will cease to exist … We are diligently working to stay ahead of the curve with our goals.”

Some of those changes include reducing overhead costs, growing services and enhancing efficiencies, such as merging with other small telephone service providers to maintain a broader customer base while reducing duplicate overhead costs, he said.

MCC is exploring possible mergers or acquisitions with other telecommunications providers, specifically ColtonTel. Although the MCC annual meeting and accompanying events are only open to members of the cooperative, they also extended an invitation to ColtonTel customers this year. At this point, ColtonTel’s board has not expressed interest in considering a merger or acquisition.

“If the rural telephone providers do not change their business model, expand and provide ever-increasing levels of broadband service, without a doubt they will face insurmountable obstacles that will become their demise,” Loutzenhiser said.

He said MCC is already moving forward in providing some of the fastest broadband speeds in the nation.

“As a company, MCC is working to leave something greater than an antiquated relic,” Loutzenhiser said. “MCC will not need to grasp so desperately and cling so tightly to the past if we have properly planned for the future.”

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Beware! Computer scams don't just happen on computers. A recent study commissioned by Microsoft describes how scammers are now calling consumers on the phone and tricking them into installing computer software designed to steal money, identities, and passwords. Here's how it works: The scammer calls and, after sharing their "credentials," tells the victim that his/her computer is at risk. The scammer directs the victim to view a harmless error report they claim shows the victim's computer has been compromised.

The scammer then asks for a credit card number so the victim can "purchase" software that will solve the "problem." Or, they may direct the victim to install software that places a virus on the victim's computer, enabling the scammer to then gain access to critical and confidential information.

Microsoft recommends these do's and don'ts to help prevent becoming a victim:

DO
~Be suspicious of unsolicited calls related to a security problem, even if the caller claims to represent a respected company.
~Use up-to-date versions of operating system and application software.
~Make sure security updates are installed regularly.
~Use strong passwords and change them regularly.
~Make sure your firewall is turned on and that antivirus software is installed and up to date.

DON'T
~Provide personal information, such as credit card or bank details, to unsolicited callers.
~Go to a website, type anything into a computer, install software, or follow any other instruction from someone who calls unsolicited.

If you think you may already have been a victim of a phone scam, we recommend the following actions:

~Change the passwords to your computer, your main email account, and financial accounts.
~Contact your bank and credit card companies to alert them of the potential breach.
~Scan your computer with the Microsoft Safety Scanner (http://microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx) to find out if you have malware (virus) installed on your computer.

Remember, there is no security software that can protect against this kind of threat - your best defense is to be informed and prepared.

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Roger Ebert calls this "The Greatest Music Video Ever Made." It's also the largest and longest LipDub video to date. Filmed in downtown Grand Rapids Michigan, it involved 5,000 residents and was created in response to the Newsweek article calling Grand Rapids a "dying city." Even if you only watch part of it, you'll find it fun and inspiring.

You've never seen a seatbelt commercial quite like this one. It's been described as "the most beautiful seatbelt advocacy commercial ever" and for good reason; the unique imagery is both compelling and thought provoking. Take a minute to watch it and then share it with someone you care about.

THIS MONTH'S FAQ - DO MAC USERS NEED TO WORRY ABOUT VIRUSES?

Let's start with the big picture. Worldwide, about 90 percent of the computer market is comprised of PC users with about 10 percent being Mac users. Cybercriminals are well aware of these statistics and tend to focus their virus efforts on the "bigger slice of the pie." So traditionally, Macs have been known to experience fewer viruses.

However, Mac security has been in the news again lately due to the MacDefender malware and its variants. MacDefender masquerades as antivirus software, showing a webpage that looks like a virus detection screen, and then prompting the user to complete the install process. If completed, the malware will ask for credit card information to eliminate nonexistent viruses.

Do Mac users need to worry about viruses? The short answer is yes. No computer is completely immune from threats and Apple recommends that Mac users keep antivirus software updated and take precautions when downloading files, opening email attachments, etc. If you're in the 90 percent with a PC, you should be practicing these security measures as well.

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