Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Paul Bunyan Communications Cooperative Celebration scheduled for Wednesday, May 20 has been canceled.

“While it is unfortunate to cancel our community celebration, like so many others we recognize the importance of putting the health and safety of our friends, neighbors, cooperative members, and employees first.  At the same time, we see unprecedented demands right now on the critically important work of area food shelves.  To do our part to help, we’re making a special contribution of $100,000 to our area food shelves” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO & General Manager.

“As a cooperative, our mission statement spells out our commitment to the communities we serve.  While we’re disappointed to have to cancel our event, the Board of Directors and employees of Paul Bunyan Communications hope this contribution helps those that need it most” added Randy Frisk, Board President.

The local food shelves supported by the cooperative include:

Bemidji Area Food Shelf

The Food Shelf of Second Harvest in Grand Rapids

Red Lake Nation

Deer River Area Food Shelf

Cass Lake Food Shelf

Hubbard County Food Shelf-Park Rapids

Trinity Lutheran Food Shelf of Laporte

Northome Area Food Shelf

Walker Food Shelf

Falls Hunger Coalition of International Falls

Neighbors Helping Neighbors of Nashwauk

Northern Itasca Food Shelf of Bigfork

“We’re very proud of the Cooperative Celebration and grateful to everyone that helps us put on or attends the event.  It started as our 50^th Anniversary Celebration in 2002 so this would have been the 19^th annual event.  We look forward to when we can get together again,” added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

Our office lobbies and Bemidji Drive Thru are closed but will be reopening soon.

Until then, we ask all members and customers to continue to do business with us by phone, e-mail, or online chat.  Many technical problems can be resolved without having to send out a technician and you can pay your bill through several different methods without having to come in person.

The Apple Service Center in Bemidji is offering curbside drop off/pick up service by appointment only, please call (218) 444-4936.

We continue to offer emergency repair 24/7 which can be reached at (218) 444-1234, (218) 999-1234, or toll-free 1-888-586-3100.

Thank you for your understanding. We are committed to you.

To see if you are in the GigaZone or when it may reach you visit GigaZone Availability Map

Upgrades

Every year since 2004 our cooperative has been upgrading portions of our current service area from the older copper based network to our new, all-fiber optic network the GigaZone. It’s work that takes a lot of time and investment, but we are excited that this immense project is almost completed. 2020 upgrade construction will include all the remaining locations of Blackduck and Cohasset not already reached by previous upgrade work. Once these upgrade areas are operational, 99% of the cooperative’s current service territory will be served by our all-fiber optic network and have access to the additional GigaZone services it can provide!

Expansion

The cooperative started expanding into new competitive service areas in 1999 with the overbuild of Bemidji and we’ve continued to expand each year to bring broadband Internet services to those without it and increase our membership base. Past expansion projects have included Bemidji, Cohasset, Grand Rapids, Cass Lake, Lake George, LaPrairie, Park Rapids, Coleraine, Big Falls and other rural areas of Itasca, Hubbard, Beltrami, and St. Louis Counties.

2020 Expansion

This year we will expand further in the Pennington area to the east of Cass Lake and north of Hwy 2.

 2021 Expansion

Recently the cooperative also received a Broadband Grant from the State of Minnesota’s Border to Border Grant Program to expand to an additional 1,353 locations in parts of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and rural portions of Cass, Itasca, Koochiching and St. Louis counties. Construction in these areas will start in 2021 with services expected to be available by spring of 2022.

The 2020 Men’s & Women’s NIAC Basketball Tournament presented by Paul Bunyan Communications is coming to Cass Lake High School and Oak Hills Christian College​ this weekend!

10 schools from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba will compete for the 2020 championship.

A tournament pass to take in all the games is only $10 or $6 for students. Single day passes are $5 or $3 for students.

For more information visit https://www.oakhills.edu/athletics/niac-tournament

The Northern Minnesota Builder’s Association will hold the 25th Annual Home & Cabin Show March 6-8 at the IRA Civic Center in Grand Rapids.

Be sure to stop by the Paul Bunyan Communications exhibit at the show to pick up a free gift while supplies last and learn more about our services including GigaZone Broadband Internet, Whole-home DVR, PBTV Everywhere, On Demand and PBTV HD.

Show Hours are:

Friday, March 6          3-7 p.m.

Saturday, March 7     10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday, March 8       Noon-4 p.m.

This event is sponsored in part by Paul Bunyan Communications and includes booths featuring a wide variety of products & services, a silent auction, and a chance to win over lots of prizes!  For more information or to register, visit www.nmbuilders.com

There was recently a winner of the Paul Bunyan Communications Hockey Hot Shots Promotion during a Bemidji State University men’s home hockey game!

Tucker Coombs of Shevlin made his shot at center ice during a period intermission at the Beavers game Saturday, February 1 against Bowling Green to win a 65” Smart HDTV.  Tucker is 12 and a 5^th grader at Bagley Elementary.

“I was excited when they called my name to play but was pretty nervous once I got out to center ice.  I decided I was going to try to take it easy and not shoot the puck too hard.  I felt pretty good once I shot the puck and it went right down the middle and in.  I couldn’t believe it!” said Coombs.

“We’ve been sponsoring the contest for a long time dating back to games at the John Glas Fieldhouse and it seems like winners come in bunches.  It’s been a while since someone won at a BSU game but there were two winners within a month back in 2015 and three in one weekend in 2011.   It is a lot of fun to see someone make that shot.  You only get one chance, you’re in front of a crowd, and you are shooting for a small opening from center ice.  It’s not easy but Tucker sure made it look that way! ”said Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

You can see video of Tucker making the shot on YouTube https://youtu.be/7mjHWwP-jSE and the view from the stands https://youtu.be/CLUdKNw2iQA

The Paul Bunyan Communications Hockey Hot Shots contest is held during an intermission at select Bemidji State University Men’s Hockey home games.  Three contestants are selected at random to participate each night. All contestants receive a coupon for a free PBTV On Demand movie rental, any contestant hitting the board receives a Paul Bunyan Communications Box of Northland Tackle, and a contestant who puts the puck in the net through the middle of the Hockey Hot Shots board wins up to a 70” Smart HDTV.

For the second time this season, there was a winner of the Paul Bunyan Communications Hockey Hot Shots Promotion during a Grand Rapids Boys Thunderhawks home hockey game!

Ben Solem made his shot at center ice at the Thunderhawks game Tuesday, January 14 against Cloquet during a period intermission.  Ben is 11, a 6^th grader at St. Joseph’s Catholic School, and a pee wee hockey player for Grand Rapids Youth Hockey.

“I’ve grown up watching the Thunderhawks and always wanted to give Hockey Hot Shots a try.  I was just excited to get chosen to shoot, to win was awesome!  I’m pumped to get my own big screen TV.” said Solem.

“We’ve been sponsoring the contest since 2012 and it is a lot of fun to see someone make that shot.  You only get one chance, you’re in front of a crowd, and you are shooting for the small opening from center ice.  It’s not easy but Ben beat the odds and gets to pick out his new Smart HDTV!  ” said Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

The Paul Bunyan Communications Hockey Hot Shots contest is held during an intermission at each Grand Rapids Boys Hockey home games.  Three contestants are selected at random to participate each night. All contestants receive a coupon for a free PBTV On Demand movie rental, any contestant hitting the board receives a Paul Bunyan Communications Box of Northland Tackle, and a contestant who puts the puck in the net through the middle of the Hockey Hot Shots board wins up to a 70” Smart HDTV.

Paul Bunyan Communications is excited to announce the winners of the 5th Annual Pick-it Bowl Challenge, a free online contest for participants to pick the winners for the 2019-20 College Bowl games for a chance to win a credit on a Paul Bunyan Communications account.

There were 425 participants this year and the top 10 finishers all won a credit on their Paul Bunyan Communications account.

Winners of the 5^th Annual Paul Bunyan Communications Pick-it Bowl Challenge:

1^st Place- $500 credit  Michael Hoffman, Bemidji

2^nd Place- $250 credit  Fred Luckeroth, Park Rapids

3^rd Place- $100 credit  Laurie Weese, Deer River

4^th Place- $50 credit    Desire McCray, Bemidji

5^th Place- $25 credit    Tie: Katie Nelson, Bemidji and Timothy Howg, Grand Rapids

7^th Place- $25 credit    Keith Bartholomaus, Laporte

8^th Place- $25 credit    Tie:  David Baughn, Bemidji and Moe Webb, Bemidji

10^th Place- $25 credit  Thomas Dent, Laporte

The next Paul Bunyan Communications Pick-It Challenge is March Mania for the College Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The Tennis Channel been added to Paul Bunyan Television service and is now available to all PBTV main subscribers on channel 87 or PBTV HD channel 587.

Tennis Channel is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. Tennis Channel also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights at the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, ATP World events, WTA competitions, Fed Cup, Laver Cup and the ATP Cup.

“Tennis is a sport many in our region enjoy and our cooperative has featured USTA Quickstart Tennis which introduces young people to the game as part of our annual Cooperative Celebration for over a decade.  The addition of the Tennis Channel will give our customers the opportunity to see the best players in the world in action throughout the year!” said Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

With comprehensive coverage from most of the top 100 tournaments, the top 10 men and women have been known to play over 900 times in a year on Tennis Channel for live and encore airings.  However, the legends of the sport are not just on the court, they’re also in the broadcasting booth. Tennis Channel has more Hall of Fame talent than any other single-sports network including Lindsay Davenport, Jim Courier, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin and more.

The network’s programming is not limited to match play. Original reports, features, documentaries and online content delve into the behind-the-scenes stories that highlight the history of some of the most influential players to ever step on the court, while introducing our audience to today’s up-and-coming talents. Tennis Channel also looks beyond the professionals at the net with lifestyle, travel, instructional and news programming that is unavailable anywhere else.