United Telephone Company's central mission is to provide our customers with the most advanced technology from the local network. We have connections folks need and want, including broadband services like DSL and digital television, with the personal navigators to help guide you through the process of connecting to the world. United Telephone Company of Chapel Hill, Tennessee, was originally known as Cities Telephone Company, founded by R. Lee Wheat. A group of telephone investors, including L.O. Brayton, Jr., Elmer Bivens, Edna Whitson, David Nunn, K.W. Rogers, Jr. and J.W. Hofstead purchased Cities Telephone Company in 1957. Elmer Bivens knew what networking with other companies could do for his company before the word "networking" became so popular. He and 19 other men began the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telephone Companies (OPASTCO), a national organiziation.  In 1958, the company purchased the exchanges of Fosterville and Estill Springs and offered customers the opportunity to help them choose a new name for the company. Elmer Bivens divided his time between Crockett Telephone Company and United Telephone Company for several years. But as both companies grew, the board saw a need for a manager for each company. Bill Wilson, who had been plant manager since 1960 was promoted to General Manager in 1962. The company's founders gave to their heirs more than stock in a company, they instilled in them a love of telephony. Katherine Brayton is now President of United and Herbert Bivens is its General Manager. Warren Nunn, Lucinda Whitson Jones, and Mr. Rogers' sons as officers and board members are actively involved in the company. Herbert is also carrying on his father's tradition of involvement in organizations that promote telephony. He has recently served as chairman of OPASTCO and is on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Telecommunications Association. Since its inception in 1947, United Telephone has grown to cover an area that draws from the Saturn plant on the west, suburbs of Nashville on the north, horses and Hytech on the east and the fast growing lake resorts on the south. Our service area is the fastest growing in Tennessee with Davidson County experiencing 13.6% population growth between 1990 and 2002, Rutherford County experiencing 61.9% growth, and Maury County experiencing 31.4%.   United Telephone has accommodated an approximate 40% growth factor in access lines over the last 10 years (1995-2004). We are expecting 25-40% growth between 2003 and 2008. The population growth and business expansion in the United Telephone service area has resulted in UTC providing more services to more people. Neighborhoods are being built daily and UTC is there providing connections — up to 12 lines per house—bringing into reality a wide variety of technology from Internet to digital entertainment to advanced calling features, like Caller ID and Voice Mail.   With the installation of the Lucent 5ESS Switch in the third quarter of 1997, United Telephone became an access tandem. The company introduced advanced calling services, including voice/fax mail, the voice mail bulletin board, ISDN, DSL, and Caller ID. Since 1988, United has added more than hundreds of miles of fiber-optic cable. In the 1990s, UTC introduced Internet access and long distance through UTC Longdistance We were among the first rural telcos in the state of Tennessee to make all the network updates necessary several years ago in preparation for high-speed and broadband connections. When our customers wanted to call more places toll-free, we listened. With our new area calling plan customers can call Nashville, Franklin, and other communities as a local call ­ saving customers hundreds of dollars each year. "Addressing the growth needs in terms of technology is something that United Telephone has aggressively pursued. United has made a commitment to provide the most advanced network available that will meet the needs of our growing area." —Herb Bivens, UTC General Manager United Telephone Company is an active part of the community because 100% of our management and employees live, work and raise their families in the communities we serve. We are proud to: Sponsor Little League teams in all of our exchanges Send local high school juniors to a national Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., each year Sponsor an annual essay contest on imagination in technology for local fifth graders in all local elementary schools Introducing the Local Network/Sponsoring an annual coloring contest on technology in daily life for local first graders Take part in the Adopt-a-School Program Sponsor local high school seniors for national telecommunications college scholarships, including the Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED) And more! United Telephone Company has successfully merged the ideas of technology with familiar, hometown support. It isn¹t necessary to look to the big guys for advanced technology. We have that ­ but with the added advantage of a local company with local support provided by local residents. For United Telephone, it¹s about enriching the user experience, ensuring that technology and its many uses comes alive for them in their daily lives. Our one-on-one methods of communication allow a simplified approach to the use of technology, stripping away the magic codes and complex agreements that make technology confusing.