Google Apps is a suite of web-based messaging and collaboration applications that Google hosts on their own servers. Google provides these applications as a "service," rather than as software to download and install. To access these applications, you simply use a web browser on a computer that's connected to the Internet.

There is an online learning resource designed to help you with your new Google Apps account.
Click the link below to get started.
Google Apps Help Guide

We looked for an email and calendar solution that could provide with us the following benefits:

• Lower infrastructure costs – All your email will be stored securely on Google's servers, so we'll no longer need to maintain email servers on-site
• Ability to consolidate our platforms – We can eliminate redundancy by moving all of our email and calendar platforms to Google Apps
• Lower support costs – Because Google hosts the email and calendar services, there's no more email client software to maintain on your computer
• Innovative solutions – We can leverage the ongoing creative and technical solutions of the Google Apps platform to provide employees with powerful, easy-to-use tools for getting their work done
• Highly scalable environment – With Google Apps, our email capacity will grow automatically as our company grows, and we'll avoid the complexity of internal systems
• Access to services from anywhere, anytime – A key benefit of the Google-hosted solution is that we can access email, contacts, and calendar from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world
• More collaboration features – With Google's next-generation applications, we can collaborate with colleagues, customers, and partners more easily and efficiently than ever before
• Instant messaging – Because Google Apps includes Google Talk, we can now implement an instant messaging system

Your new Google Apps account will include the following services:    download/print table

They are similar, but we'll be using the business-class edition of Google Apps, which provides more features, more support, and an "up-time" guarantee.

No, your email address won't change! You'll continue to receive all your email at your current address.

Yes, we'll migrate all of your email messages, calendar events, and personal contacts from Web mail to Google Apps during non-business hours, so they'll be ready for you when you log in to your new Google Apps account.

You'll just need to complete a few simple tasks to complete your migration, such as recreating any email rules you use and setting up your mobile device.

To get you up to speed quickly, we'll provide plenty of documentation and training resource. Members of the IT team will also be available to answer your questions or resolve any issues you encounter.

You'll be able to master the basics – sending and receiving email and viewing and scheduling meetings – very quickly. However, the time required to completely move over to Google Apps can vary. For example, for a typical email and calendar migration, expect to spend about 4 to 8 hours over the course of a week or so, to take the training, review documentation, and set up your services. If you also access email on a mobile device, plan on spending a bit more time.

Online

Our Online Document and Payment Center allows you to pay your bill online or to simply view your bill. It's secure, it's easy-to-use, and it's totally free of charge.

By Mail

Our mailing address is:

By Phone

You may call our business office between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to pay by phone or for directions about paying by bank draft:

• Camp Wood – (830) 579-2288
• D'Hanis – (830) 363-7281
• Rocksprings – (830) 683-6220
• Utopia – (830) 966-3444

In Person

• Camp Wood
  First State Bank of Uvalde
  308 N Nueces St
  (830) 579-2288
• D'Hanis
  D'Hanis State Bank
  7340 County Road 525
  (830) 363-7281
• Rocksprings
  122 N Well St
  (830) 683-6220
• Utopia
  406 N Main St
  (830) 966-3444

Depending on where you live, federal, state and local governments may assess a percentage-based sales tax against certain services on your bill.

We are open 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Our offices are closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Don't gamble with your safety – if you're a professional excavator or a homeowner, smart digging always requires a call to 811. Knowing where underground utility lines are buried before you dig will help protect you from injury and prevent damages to utilities, service disruptions and potential fines and repair costs. Whether you're planting a tree or shrub, or installing a deck or pool, every job requires a call—Even if you've called before for a similar project. The depth of utility lines varies, and there may be multiple utility lines in one common area. Marked lines show you the approximate location of underground lines and help prevent undesired consequences such as injury, service disruptions to an entire neighborhood, or costly fines and repair costs.

No. Please call 811 directly. Your local One Call Center will advise you of online services available to submit locate requests. Click here for additional local information.

Smart digging always means calling 811 before each job. Whether you're a do-it-yourselfer planning a weekend project or a professional excavator contracted for a home improvement job, one phone call to 811 will get your underground utility lines marked for free.

No, 811 will not replace your local one call number. The One Call process will remain the same and continue to notify your local affected utility companies, who will continue to mark your underground lines for free. With more than 62 local one call numbers across the country, 811 eliminates the confusion of multiple "Call Before You Dig" numbers by providing one national number you can call to get your lines marked. Click here for more information on contacting your local One Call Center!

Click here to see how 811 works!

Laws vary from state to state. Please call 811 and a customer service representative will be able to assist you.

No. 811 is an additional avenue to contact the same One Call Center in your area.

No. Please call only if you intend to dig.

State laws vary from 48 – 72 hours, most excluding weekends and legal holidays. Please call 811 directly, and the customer service representative will be able to provide specific information.

Yes. Each color indicates a universal color to what is buried below ground.

• Red – Electric
• Orange – Communications, Telephone/CATV
• Blue – Potable Water
• Green – Sewer/Drainage
• Yellow – Gas/Petroleum Pipe Line
• Purple – Reclaimed Water
• White – Premark site of intended excavation

State laws vary from state to state. Please call 811 directly and they will advise you of the duration the marks will be good for.

No. An 811 call is to be made only if the caller intends to dig. Professional locators will then mark the approximate location of the buried facilities with paint or flags.

The link ’Check My E-mail’ is found on the main menu of each SWTTC Web page. To access your e-mail:

1. Click Check My E-mail
2. Enter your username and password
3. Click the Login button

• Tutorial

Yes. We provide broadband Internet service throughout our service area through the use of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology, commonly referred to as DSL. This service is available even in remote areas and at great distances from our Central Offices.

You may begin the DSL ordering process by viewing and printing the ADSL Service form. Fill in the blanks and then return the completed form to our business office.

SWTTC has put together a number of plans so you can find the one that best suits your needs. To see plan details along with our recommendations, review the table at to bottom of our DSL Plans page.

Yes. We designed an animation that demonstrates the various speeds in our different plans. You can view this demo by clicking any DSL Speed Demo link.

Yes. Click here to check your DSL speed.

SWTTC has designed its network to minimize congestion such that active congestion management should not be necessary. To the extent a particular route or serving area begins to experience congestion, SWTTC will plan and implement network upgrades in order to attempt to alleviate the congestion before it becomes noticeable to customers. SWTTC does not dynamically manage congestion or attempt to reduce any customer's download or upload speed below the speeds contracted for by the customer. SWTTC reserves the right to terminate service to any customer who violates the Acceptable Use Policy.

SWTTC does not block or rate-control specific protocols or protocol ports, does not modify protocol fields in ways not prescribed by the protocol standard, and does not otherwise inhibit or favor any application or class of application.

SWTTC provides a Network Interface Device which serves as a demarcation point between SWTTC's facilities and the customer's facilities. The customer is free to connect any device of his or her choosing to the customer's facilities, so long as such a device is not used in any way that violates SWTTC's Acceptable Use Policy.

Southwest Texas Telephone Company will take appropriate action for repeat harmful transmissions, up to and including termination of the service. The company uses accepted technical measures to address service attacks, and downloading of illegal content and other harmful activities. SWTTC complies with the Online Copyright Infringement Laws that allows us to disconnect service to customers that violate these laws.

SWTTC's e-mail platform is Google Apps which has security built in through the mail server and includes Postini, a spam and virus filter in front of the mail servers for additional mail filtering and security.

Customer must take appropriate security precautions for any device or system connected to the service. SWTTC recommends the customer secure any wireless network devices (ie. routers) connected to the service. Customer will not transmit viruses, worms, Trojan horses, denial of service attacks or any other harmful software or code, bomb, key or bot. Customer must use standard practices to prevent harmful transmissions and to protect their computer system(s) and connected devices.

Your SWTTC account provides you access to a vast collection of networks and services around the world such as the World Wide Web, electronic mail, and newsgroups.

Description of Technology – Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is a type of Digital Subscriber Line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice telephone call. A splitter, or DSL filter, allows a single telephone connection to be used for both ADSL service and voice calls at the same time.

Expected and Actual Speed and Latency – SWTTC provides an on-line speed and latency test customers can use to verify the quality of their ADSL service. The test can be found at, http://speedtest.swtexas.net/, or on our website on the FAQ page under Internet & DSL

Suitability of Service – Following are examples of typical customer uses of SWTTC's ADSL service.

SWTTC does not offer any specialized services as an internet service provider. SWTTC is a landline telephone company and as such offers traditional telephone services, which services are complimentary to, and do not interfere in any way with, the broadband internet service. Specifically, SWTTC does not offer any services which may affect the last-mile capacity available for, and the performance of, broadband internet access service.

SWTTC's Acceptable Use Policy can be downloaded and printed by clicking this link, Acceptable Use Policy, or online on the Internet/DSL Services page.

SWTTC's Application for ADSL Service can be downloaded and printed by clicking this link, ADSL Service Form. Application can also be made online by clicking DSL Service Form here or on the Internet/ DSL Services page of our website.

Southwest Texas Telephone Company, as your domain administrator, has access to your account information including your email. Specifically, SWTTC may:View statistics regarding your account, such as information concerning your last login or data storage usage; change your account password, suspend or terminate your account access and your ability to modify your account; access or retain information stored as part of your account, including your email, contacts and other information; and, receive account information in order to satisfy applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.

Collected personal information is only used for the business purposes of SWTTC and its subsidiaries and affiliates and is not shared with external, non-affiliated companies except as provided in this Privacy Policy. SWTTC may partner with other parties to provide specific services, such as billing solutions, which are designed to enhance the functionality of our products and services. SWTTC will only share names or other contact information that is necessary for the third party to provide these services. We may also provide your personal information to third party agents we have hired to help us provide a good or service you have requested. In addition, we outsource certain functions of our business and those agents may have access to your personal information; however in such cases our agents are prohibited from disclosing your personal information to others.

We may share statistical or aggregated non-personal information about our visitors with advertisers, business partners, sponsors and other third parties. No personal information is supplied in these cases. This data is used to customize our Web site content and advertising to deliver a better experience to our users.

Redress Options: If you need information about how to contact our customer service personnel to express concerns or ask questions, please use the contact information below:

New service, existing service or questions about your bill:

If this does not resolve your question or complaint, please contact Dylan Cox, Commercial Manager, at Dylan@swtexas.com or by telephone at 830-683-2111.

Yes. Contact our business office for pricing, ad size and other information.

Annoyance calls are covered in Section 42.07 of the Texas Penal Code. The code provides that a person commits an offense if he intentionally communicates by telephone in vulgar, profane, obscene, or indecent language, in a coarse and offensive manner of threatening language and this action intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly annoys or alarms or intends to alarm the recipient; or places one or more telephone calls anonymously, at an unreasonable hour, in an offensive and repetitious manner, or without legitimate purpose and by this action intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly annoys or alarms the recipient or intends to do so. A person places a telephone call as soon as he dials a complete telephone number, whether or not a conversation ensues.

Cramming consists of charges being placed on your phone bill for products or services without your authorization. Cramming is prohibited by law. Details

Contact our business office and request that we take corrective action.

The Texas PUC requires the billing telephone company to do the following within 45 days of learning of the unauthorized charge:

• Notify the service provider to cease charging you for the unauthorized product or service.
• Remove any unauthorized charges from your bill.
• Refund or credit all money to you that you have paid for an unauthorized charge within 15 business days after the charge is removed from your telephone bill.

No. Customers may purchase their own station equipment if certain conditions are met. All terminal equipment must meet FCC requirements. Details

All customers are furnished with a minimum of one directory for each customer access line. Additional directories may be obtained by contacting the business office.

Directories of other cities may be ordered by calling the AT&T Directory Resource Center at (800) 792-2665.

Great care has been exercised in the preparation of the telephone directory but SWTTC assumes no liability for damages arising from errors or omissions in the directory. In order that the directory record may contain correct listings, notification of changes or errors should be given at once to the business office.

Consumers who wish to reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls they receive can register their number at both the state and national level. Details

National

• Online:  www.donotcall.gov
• Phone:  1-888-382-1222
• TTY:  1-866-290-4236

Texas

• Online:  http://www.texasnocall.com
• Phone:  1-866-896-6225
• Post:  TEXAS NO CALL, PO Box 313, E Walpole, MA 02032

SWTTC is in compliance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1975, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the US Department of Agriculture. Details

Any individual or specific class of individuals, who feels that this organization has subjected them to discrimination, should contact our Compliance Officer Rachel Gallegos. Complaints must be filed within 180 days after the alleged discrimination.

The ownership of all telephone numbers is vested in SWTTC and it reserves the right to change the telephone number or numbers of the customer's telephone station or stations, or the central office prefix associated with such number or numbers, or both, as the operation of the business may require.

You have the right to file a formal or informal complaint or pursue any matter with the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Details

The Relay Texas service relays calls between a person using a TTY or other assistive device within the State of Texas and any other telephone user. Details

Slamming is when a telephone company switches you from one telephone service provider to another without your authorization.

No. The law prohibits telephone companies from switching your service providers without your permission.

You can immediately change your service back to your original provider by calling SWTTC if you have been slammed. You should also report the slam by writing or calling the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

If you are slammed, Texas law requires the telephone company that slammed you to do the following:

• Pay all charges associated with returning you to your original telephone company within five business days of your request.
• Provide all billing records to your original telephone company within 10 business days of your request.
• Pay your original telephone company the amount you would have paid if you had not been slammed.
• Refund to you within 30 business days any amount you paid for charges during the first 30 days after the slam and any amount more than what you would have paid your original telephone company for charges after the first 30 days following the slam.

SWTTC has a written plan setting forth its procedures for communicating with Spanish-speaking persons. In compliance with this plan, anyone who wishes to see a written copy of the plan may do so by requesting a copy from our business office. SWTTC has bilingual service representatives available to handle complaints, billing inquiries, and repairs, upon request. Notices of new services, discount programs, promotions, and balloting are printed in English and Spanish.

SWTTC tiene un plan escrito declarando su procedimiento para comunicar con personas en espanol. De acuerdo con este plan, si alguien quiere una copia se puede pedir en la commercial office. SWTTC tiene representantes bilingue. A peticion, los representantes de reparacion y servicio le pueden ayudar con sus quejas, informacion de su cuenta y servicio. Noticias de servicio nuevo, programas de descuentos, promociones y votaciones estan escritas en ingles y espanol.

The telephone is one of the safest appliances in your home or office. There are, however, a few situations where a telephone user needs to be cautious:

• During an Electrical Storm

  You should avoid using a telephone during an electrical storm in your immediate area; calls of an urgent nature should be brief. Although SWTTC uses protective measures to limit abnormal electrical surges from entering your home, absolute protection is impossible. There is a remote risk of a dangerous electrical shock from lightning when using the telephone during a nearby electrical storm.

• Near Water

  The telephone should not be used while you are in a bathtub, shower, or pool. Immersion of the telephone or handset in water could cause an electrical shock.

• Reporting a Gas Leak

  If you think you've found a gas leak, you should not use a telephone in the vicinity of the leak until the leak is repaired. The telephone contains electrical contacts that could generate a tiny spark when you lift the handset and dial. While unlikely, it may be possible for this spark to trigger an explosion if the gas concentration is high enough.

Before digging, contact Texas One Call, (800) 245-4545.

Texas One Call is a computerized notification center which establishes a communications link between those who dig underground (excavators) and those who operate underground facilities (operators). Details

Residential

• $8.00 per month per line
• $6.50 per month – Federal Subscriber Line Charge

Business

• $14.40 per month per line
• $6.50 per month – Federal Subscriber Line Charge (single line)
• $9.20 per month – Federal Subscriber Line Charge (multiple lines)

Local calling areas are determined by the exchange.

You can make local calls at no charge to each of the areas listed for the exchange where your telephone is located. Not all prefixes in your area represent a local call. (See What is my calling area?)

Incoming calls may be automatically redirected to another telephone number. Five variations of this service are available. Details

Determine the calling party's name and telephone number before you answer the call. A special device is required for this feature. Details

Repeat Dialing allows you to dial an activation code after you have dialed a number that is busy. Repeat dialing will continue to attempt to reach that number for 30 minutes. Details

Speed Dialing lets you store 8 or 30 frequently called numbers and place calls to them by dialing a one or two digit code. This includes long distance numbers that are accessible by direct distance dialing. Details

Add a third party to an existing telephone conversation. This feature reduces the need for callbacks when trying to confirm plans and schedules. It also brings families, friends, and colleagues together. Details

Yes. Toll Control allows you to control long distance calls being placed from your telephone. Long distance calls can be made only with the use of a Personal Identification Number (PIN).

Yes. Toll Restriction prevents long distance calls from being placed from your telephone. Details

Yes. SWTTC offers an affordable inside wiring protection plan that can protect you from expensive repairs. Details

While you cannot keep anyone from dialing your number, you can restrict which calls go through. Our Special Call Acceptance plan provides you with additional privacy and security so only the most important calls reach you. Details

Yes. Our Anonymous Call Rejection (ACR) plan rejects all calls that have been marked anonymous by the calling party. Details

Yes. Our Call Screening plan allows you to create a list of numbers from which you do not want to receive calls. Details

Yes. By using Call Trace, you can request a trace on a call. There is a charge for each completed trace. Details

Yes. You can ask to be put on the Texas Do Not Call list and you can also add our Telemarketing – Do Not Disturb feature to your phone. Details

Yes. Our Calling Number Blocking plan offers both per-line blocking and per-call blocking. Details

Yes. SWTTC offers two plans for receiving voice messages without the need of an answering machine. Details

Yes. Up to five additional mailboxes may be added to the system. Details

Yes. An Announcement Only mailbox delivers a greeting or informational message to the caller, but does not allow the caller to leave a message. Details

Yes. Our business office can help you design a plan that will work best for you and your family or business.

Voice Mail is easy to set up, but many customers prefer to have us handle everything. Our business office can set everything up for you for a nominal one-time fee.

Yes. We are referred to as your local long distance company.

SWTTC customers may choose from ten long distance carriers to handle their long distance telephone calling needs. Each long distance carrier offers a variety of calling plans.

The following carriers offer service to SWTTC customers: Details

• AT&T
• Global Crossing
• MCI
• NTS Communications
• Primus Telecommunications
• Qwest Communications
• Southwest Texas Long Distance
• Sprint Nextel
• Level 3 Communication

This information should apply to most long-distance companies.

• Distant City:    dial    (Area Code) + 555-1212
• Local Area:    dial    1 + 411

You will decide which carrier is best for you. We can offer some suggestions to consider when evaluating long distance service providers. Details

Abuse of service includes the use of service or facilities of SWTTC to transmit a message or to locate a person or otherwise to give or obtain information without payment of long distance charges.

We repair and maintain the telephone lines and equipment outside your home and/or business.

Your inside wiring is your own responsibility unless you have the inside Wiring Protection Plan. Details

The following troubleshooting tips are provided in order to help you avoid costly service calls:

• Unplug all of your telephones and any other devices. Plug one telephone into a jack and check for dial tone (do not use a cordless phone for testing). If the phone works, try it at each of your jacks. If the phone does not work, try another phone.
• If you have a cordless phone, answering machine, fax machine, small dish TV receiver, or any other device which plugs into both the telephone line and the electric line, you should disconnect these devices during thunderstorms. If your phone line is out, disconnect all of these electrically-powered devices and test the line with an ordinary phone.
• If you have a cordless phone with a low battery, it may short out your entire phone line. If this is the problem, disconnect the cordless phone until you are able to replace the battery.
• If you are having a problem dialing long distance, note the exact time of the attempted call and the number you are trying to reach. SWTTC can verify that your calls are reaching your long distance carrier, but you may have to contact your carrier directly to determine why you cannot complete the call.
• If you are one of our BETRS (radio-telephone) customers and your phone is out, check your electrical circuit breakers. If your electricity goes out and comes back on, it may trip the circuit breaker connected to your BETRS unit. If this happens, your BETRS batteries will gradually go dead and your phone will go out.

Wireless refers to the service that makes mobile or cell phones work.

We are an authorized agent for AT&T Wireless.

Yes. We carry a full line of cellular telephones and accessories through our Phone Store in Rocksprings.