News & Residential Blog

A laptop running slowly could be an early sign that the device’s performance is declining and it is only a matter of time before it needs to be replaced. Most people notice warning signs before a computer is no longer…

Knowing how to shop online securely makes any consumer’s upcoming holiday season a safe, smooth experience. While people often look up the hottest gifts of the season and ideas for hosting celebrations, far too few research the trending scams and…

Running home security without power or internet is not as impossible as it once was and with the right system, households can remain protected through outages. Safety should not be jeopardized due to severe weather, network maintenance or equipment failure.…

Most consumers are aware of scams on the internet but not enough people realize how many phony offers and fraudulent ploys exist or how to protect themselves. Today’s cybercriminals have grown more savvy, adding text messaging to their stockpile of…

Hunters looking for an extra edge this season can up their scouting game with a trail cam service that delivers real-time photos and videos to any device. Rather than hiking through the woods to retrieve a trail cam memory card,…

Choosing phones for teens who are ready for new responsibilities is not an easy task for parents, but diligent research can help make the decisions easier. Learning differences between mobile phone models lets caregivers find the right device for each…

Ah, the never-ending battle of Apple vs. Android™. Both devices have dominated the smartphone industry and continually raise the bar with high-tech features that keep us customers on our toes. This makes choosing a smartphone a daunting task. To help you make the decision of whether you are going to wear the T-shirt of Team iPhone™ or Team Android, FTC has the breakdown of some defining features for each device. 

Chances are most of you have heard the term “smart home” used in media reports and conversations lately, and with the steady growth of the “internet of things,” you are likely to hear it used more as time moves on. 

The best way for parents to keep their kids safe online is by combining website, app and usage restrictions with proper online-safety education. As more devices offer internet access and younger children become increasingly tech-savvy, staying vigilant about children’s online…

Most Facebook users have seen the signs of a Facebook account hack before. Whether it is questionable posts from friends or seeing their birthdays changed within the accounts, signs of Facebook hacking often leave users feeling uneasy, or worse, can…

The last worry you want when going on vacation is the safety of your home. Statistics show that the highest percentage of burglaries occur in the summer months. The easiest way to prevent this worry is by protecting your home prior to leaving. Here are a few easy home safety tips you can implement before going away on that much-needed getaway:

The cloud and cloud computing refer to the process of storing computer files and programs on external servers rather than locally on a device’s hard drive and then remotely accessing the files and programs via an internet connection. In this…

So you’ve got your new home office all set up, complete with blazing-fast Internet and reliable Voice services from FTC, and you’re ready to hit the ground running on your latest work project. While working from home can offer numerous advantages over working from the office, the relaxed atmosphere can also present an array of challenges. 

With a coverage area of 3,000 square miles, FTC has been committed to providing cutting-edge communications technology to the residents of Clarendon, lower Florence, Lee, Sumter and Williamsburg counties for more than 70 years. Offering television, wireless and home phone…

FTC offers across-the-board discounts on its service to those in the military and their families in our South Carolina service areas. Active-duty members of the military can receive a 10% discount on Internet, Phone, Security, and TV plus a 25%…

The two best ways to extend Wi-Fi range in a home are to add a Wi-Fi range extender and additional router or to add a mesh network. Each solution has its own place, so it is crucial to understand the…

In today’s modern homes and offices, the internet has become more than a luxury. We need fast connections throughout our daily lives for not only the online surfing and searches that first sparked our reliance on the internet, but also for things like streaming TV shows and music, keeping our homes and workplaces secure, and in some especially advanced settings, even for controlling the lights and air conditioning, locking the doors, answering the doorbell, and starting the coffee maker with our smartphones.

How To Control Data Usage on a Child’s Phone Giving a child a mobile phone offers a direct line of communication with the child and a way to monitor their location at any time. But with these benefits comes the…

Statistics from the State Law Enforcement Division show the property crime rate in South Carolina has been steadily declining since 2011, including in each of the counties within FTC’s service territory. Unfortunately, homeowners can never entirely eliminate the possibility of…

VoIP is an alternative way to make and receive telephone calls, using the internet instead of the public telephone network. Also known as “internet telephony” or “IP telephone” because of its use of internet communication wires, VoIP is an abbreviation…

Used to connect consumers’ smartphones, tablets and computers — as well as televisions, video doorbells, air-conditioning systems, door locks and lots more — to the digital world, the internet has become a near-ubiquitous part of modern life. And while many…

For most homes, a good download speed is between 50 Mbps and 250 Mbps, depending on the number of devices simultaneously in use. A 250 Mbps connection allows a family of four to stream TV, movies and games on multiple…

While the official peak of the holiday gift-giving season may still be weeks away on Christmas Day, for FTC TV subscribers, a huge present is coming just days from now. This early December gift should be a very welcome one…