Q: What if I have received a "Sorry, not at this time" message, but I think that my telephone number is actually within the coverage area?

A: The Broadband availability Telephone Number lookup database only contains connectivity that will newly become available as part of the current Rural Connections Broadband project in the Township of Laurentian Valley and the Town of Petawawa. For pre-existing Bell high speed internet availability within the Township and Town, please visit Bell at: Link

Q: How much will this high speed service cost?

A: The pricing and details of this service can be found at Bell’s website: Link

Q: What are the benefits of WiFi hotspots?

A: WiFi hotspots lets you send and receive e-mails, including documents and images, in places where they may otherwise be "disconnected." Both Internet and corporate network access are potentially available 24/7 in places like airports, hotels, coffee shops and train stations.

Q: What is a WiFi hotspot?

A: A hotspot is an area equipped with or within range of a wireless access point. Hotspots are generally high-traffic public areas such as airports, train stations, hotels, conference centres and restaurants, where users can get high-speed wireless Internet access by simply launching a Web browser on a laptop or handheld device that is 802.11b enabled.

Q: What is 802.11?

A: 802.11b is an emerging wireless local area network technology that has become popular as a high-speed data service for mobile users at work and at home. 802.11 allows users with equipped data devices to access the Internet through 802.11b access points.

802.11 hotspots provide high-speed, small coverage areas within airports, hotels and convention centres. This is a growing market.

Each access point covers close to 150 feet within an average office environment and 400 to 600 feet outdoors. Speeds are in the range of 5-6 Mbps, and can go up to 11 Mbps. There are a variety of technologies on the market that increase these speeds to 54 Mbps.

Q: Are cookies dangerous to my computer?

A: No. A cookie is a simple piece of text. It is not a program, or a plug-in. It cannot be used as a virus, and it cannot access your hard drive. Your browser (not a programmer) can save cookie values to your hard disk if it needs to, but that is the limit to the effect on your system.

For more info: http://www.cookiecentral.com/faq/

Q: Can I delete cookies?

A: Yes. Whether you use Internet Explorer or Netscape, your cookies are saved as a simple text file that you can delete as you please. Search for this cookies text file on your computer.

In order to do so properly, remember to close your browser first. Cookies are held in memory until you close your browser so, if you delete the file with it open, your cookies will return the next time you open your browser. Remember that deleting your cookie file entirely will cause you to "start from scratch" with every Web site you usually visit. It may be preferable to open the cookies.txt file (in the case of Netscape) and remove only the entries you don't like, or go to the cookies folder (in the case of IE) and delete the files matching servers you don't want.

Q: What is phishing?

A: Phishing is the use of phoney e-mail messages and fraudulent Web sites designed to trick people into divulging personal and financial information. Brands of well-known companies are often used to capture usernames, passwords, credit card and bank account numbers, social insurance numbers, etc. Phishers have been known to circulate e-mail containing forms and links to Web sites that look as though they belong to popular banks, retailers, credit companies, etc.

Phishing is a growing concern and the number of large-scale scams is on the rise. E-commerce and online banking are generally safe practices, but Web and e-mail users should be somewhat skeptical of unsolicited requests for personal information.

For consumer advice, to view a phishing archive or report a problem, and for general information, visit the Anti-Phishing Working Group Web site.

Q: How do I verify that I have Adobe Acrobat?

A: When you go to your "Start" button and then to "Programs", does Acrobat Reader appear in your list of programs? If not, here is a direct link to the download site: www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html. Fill in your system information, then click on "DOWNLOAD".

For technical assistance with Adobe Acrobat Reader, please visit the following Web site. www.adobe.com/support/contact/