Paul Bunyan Communications offices will be closed Monday, January 20 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The cooperative staff will use this national holiday for meetings and training.
Emergency 24 hour repair will remain available and can be reached at 1-800-475-8309
Area High School Students age 16 or 17 are encouraged to enter the Paul Bunyan Communications Essay Contest for a chance to attend the 2020 Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. June 6-10, with all expenses paid by Paul Bunyan Communications. Last year Eva Laturi of Bemidji was the PBC Youth Tour winner.
Students interested in attending the Youth Tour need to submit a short essay, no more than 500 words in length, on why they would like to attend the Youth Tour. Students must be 16 or 17 years of age and in high school with their parent/guardian a member of Paul Bunyan Communications Cooperative.
Entries can be dropped off at the Paul Bunyan Communications office in Bemidji or Grand Rapids, or they can mailed to:
Paul Bunyan Communications Essay Contest
1831 Anne St. NW
Bemidji, MN 56601
The deadline for entries is Friday, March 6.
The trip features a comprehensive overview of the telecommunications industry, including careers in telecom, the critical role telecommunications plays in rural America, and how legislative and regulatory decisions affect the industry. The tour allows youth to meet with members of Congress who represent rural constituents. They also participate in educational sessions about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Students visit some of the nation’s most historic sites, including Mount Vernon, the Smithsonian Museums, and a beautiful night tour of our Washington D.C.
“We hope that by providing our youth with telecommunications services comparable to those found in urban areas, as well as exposing them to cultural and educational opportunities, such as the FRS Youth Tour, our youth will remain in and become active members in their rural communities,” said Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.
The Foundation for Rural Service is dedicated to informing and to improving the quality of life throughout rural America. Each year, it organizes the Youth Tour, designed to educate rural youth about the telecommunications industry and the federal political process. The FRS is a subsidiary of the NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association of which Paul Bunyan Communications is a member.
This is the 24th consecutive year that Paul Bunyan Communications has participated in sending a local high school student to the Youth Tour.
Paul Bunyan Communications is committed to the communities we serve and provides over $35,000 annually in scholarships to local students within our service territory. We also offer local students the chance to apply for one statewide industry scholarship and one national industry scholarship. If you are a current high school senior or a student at one of the local post-secondary institutions, you can apply to win a Paul Bunyan Communications Scholarship!
Each year, our cooperative provides at least 2, $500 scholarships to 12 area high schools within or near our service territory. The application process, winners, and distribution of funds are handled by each high school independent of Paul Bunyan Communications.
Paul Bunyan Communications Scholarships are available at Bemidji High School, Bigfork High School, Blackduck High School, Cass Lake High School, Deer River High School, Grand Rapids High School, Kelliher High School, Laporte High School, Northome High School, Park Rapids High School, Red Lake High School, and Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School
To apply for the Paul Bunyan Communications Scholarship at one of these high schools, please speak to the high school counselor or career service office.
In addition to High School Scholarships, Paul Bunyan Communications provides scholarship opportunities to the following post secondary institutions: Bemidji State University, Northwest Technical College, Itasca Community College, Red Lake Nation College, Leech Lake Tribal College, and Oak Hills Christian College.
There are several scholarships totaling over $20,000 annually available to students attending Bemidji State University that are current members of Paul Bunyan Communications or a parent/legal guardian is a member. Applications are available in the BSU Admissions Office. Deadline for applications is February 1, 2021.
One $500 scholarship is awarded annually to a NTC student that is a current member or who has a parent/legal guardian that is a member of Paul Bunyan Communications. Applications are available in the NTC Admissions office or online at www.NTCmn.edu under scholarships. Deadline for applications is March 31, 2021.
One $500 scholarship is awarded annually at Itasca Community College, Red Lake Nation College, Leech Lake Tribal College and Oak Hills Christian College to a student that is a current member or who has a parent/legal guardian that is a member of Paul Bunyan Communications.
To apply for the Paul Bunyan Communications Scholarship at one of these post-secondary institutions, speak to the Admissions or Career Service office at the school you attend.
Paul Bunyan Communications participates in the MTA’s scholarship program which awards five $2,000 scholarships to Minnesota high school seniors each year.
The application for 2020 can be downloaded at https://www.mnta.org/page/Scholarship and must be turned in to Paul Bunyan Communications no later than February 19, 2021.
A telecom alliance panel reviews each application and selects the finalists based on applicants’ grades, academic achievements and extra-curricular activities. Preference to receive the scholarships is given to students who have an interest in telecommunications technology and rural communities.
The Foundation is part of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, a trade organization representing 86 telephone companies and cooperatives in the state.
Paul Bunyan Communications participates in the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) scholarship program which awards 30 $2,500 scholarships to high school seniors throughout the country each year.
Applications can also be downloaded from the FRS web site at https://www.frs.org/programs/youth-programs/scholarships
Completed applications should be sent directly to FRS, postmarked no later than March 5, 2021. Applications postmarked to FRS after this date will NOT be accepted.
Please note the applicant or their parent/legal guardian must be a member of Paul Bunyan Communications (PBC) Cooperative to apply through PBC and that a signature of a PBC employee is required to be considered eligible.
Established in 1994, FRS, in cooperation with the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA), seeks to sustain and enhance the quality of life throughout Rural America by advancing an understanding of rural telecommunications issues. In keeping with its mission, furthering the education of rural youth is one of the foundation’s primary focuses. Our cooperative, Paul Bunyan Communications, is a member of NTCA and is proud to support FRS in this worthy endeavor.
For the first time in the contest history, there was a winner of the Paul Bunyan Communications Hockey Hot Shots Promotion during the first Grand Rapids Boys Thunderhawks home hockey game of the season!
Brett Carlson, formerly of Deer River, made his shot at center ice at the Thunderhawks first game of the season Saturday, November 23 against Benilde-St. Margaret during a period intermission. Brett was a graduate of Grand Rapids High School, was the mascot for four years, and currently resides in Willmar.
“I was home for deer hunting so my family went to watch the Thunderhawks first game of the season. Ironically my dad had won Hockey Hot Shots back in 2012 so I figured I’d sign up to see if I could get a shot at it. I couldn’t believe my name got called to play and then to make the shot was unreal.” said Carlson.
“There have only been a few winners of the contest which started several years ago. To have two winners come from the same family several years apart is crazy. What are the odds? That’s what makes the contest so much fun, you never know if someone is going to win, when, or who that might be. We’ve gone a full season without a winner and we’ve had multiple winners in one weekend. You just never know” 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 Northland Tackle Box, and a contestant who puts the puck in the net through the middle of the Hockey Hot Shots board wins up to a 70” flat screen Smart HDTV.
Get in to win with the 5th Annual Paul Bunyan Communications 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.
The top 10 finishers will win a credit on their Paul Bunyan Communications account. First place winner will receive a $500 credit, second place is a $250 credit.
To sign up for the Pick It Bowl Challenge go to http://paulbunyan.pickitchallenge.com
The first official College Bowl game is Friday, December 20 so be sure to register and make your picks by December 20 for the best chance at winning!
The Pick-it Bowl Challenge is a fun and free way to interact with others in northern Minnesota and enjoy a little friendly competition. Must be 18 years of age or older. Limit one entry per person. Prizes not redeemable for cash. Void where prohibited. Some restrictions may apply. See Pick It Bowl Challenge website for complete contest rules.
The annual Paul Bunyan Communications Holiday Open House is Friday, December 13 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Stop in to either of our offices in Bemidji or Grand Rapids!
*Free Hot Apple Cider and Cookies
*Pick up our 2019 collector ornament
*Pick up a 2020 desktop or sticky calendar
*Pick up a new 2020 Minnesota Gold Telephone Directory
All while supplies last. ‘
Come celebrate the holiday season with your local cooperative. We’re Right Here!
Congratulations to the Deer River Football team on making it to the Minnesota High School State Football Tournament!
The Warriors will play BOLD High School in the State Class A Quarterfinals this Saturday at Noon in Brainerd.
The game will not be televised but can be seen online at http://www.prepspotlight.tv/MSHSL or it can be heard on KMFY, 96.9 FM which is also on PBTV channel 968, PBTV Fusion channel 1068 or online at https://www.kozyradio.com/
The winner advances to the Class A State Semifinals on Saturday, November 16 at 9 a.m. at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Good luck Warriors from all of us at Paul Bunyan Communications!
An estimated crowd of over 4,000 attended the 4th annual GigaZone Gaming Championship on Saturday, November 2 at the Sanford Center George W. Neilson Convention Center. The event featured free gaming, numerous gaming tournaments, virtual reality, door prizes, and more.
This one of a kind regional gaming event showcases Paul Bunyan Communications’ IT and web development team which custom built and integrated much of the online technology and leverages the speed of the GigaZone one of the largest rural all-fiber optic Gigabit networks in the country. The entire event was run off a single residential GigaZone Internet connection.
Hunter Branson of Duluth won the 4th annual GigaZone Gaming Championship Main Stage Super Smash Bros Ultimate tournament and the top prize of $500. Elsa Overland of Grand Rapids made it from the losers bracket all the way back to the grand final to secure second place and $400. A total of 64 of northern Minnesota’s best Super Smash Bros Ultimate players competed on the main stadium stage in the GigaZone Championship Arena.
2019 GigaZone Gaming Champtionship Official Results
In addition to the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Touranment, there was several other open tournaments including Fortnite, Mario Kart 8, Madden 20, and Overwatch 3v3, plus high score competitions in Beat Saber Virtual Reality, Ms Pac-Man, Galaga, and Donkey Kong. There was also two Magic the Gathering Booster Drafts, Admission was free and lots of door prizes including an Xbox One X with $75 Game Stop gift certificate won by Nicholas Krotzer of Akeley and a Occulus Qwest Virtual Reality system won by Kent Wolback of Bemidji.
“It has been incredible to see the attendance grow exponentially the past couple of years! There is a large gaming community in our area and the GigaZone Gaming Championship not only showcases some of the region’s best gamers but it gives everyone a chance to get in on the action! It was awesome to see so many people from right here and all over come together!” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager
.“Our cooperative continues to expand one of the largest rural fiber gigabit networks in the country and that brings many advantages to our members. The GigaZone provides extreme speed and low latency which are critical for the best online gaming experience and the GigaZone Gaming Championship showcases just that,” added Leo Anderson, Paul Bunyan Communications Technology Experience Manager.
“This event has garnered national attention. There is no other gaming event like it anywhere I’ve seen. It’s unique to our area and we are very proud of our team for making it happen. We’re already looking forward to next year!” added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.
This Paul Bunyan Communications event includes the talents of many local partners including NLFX, Accidently Cool Games, Northern Amusement, the Sanford Center as well support from several regional and national partners.
For more information on the GigaZone Gaming Championship visit www.gigazonegaming.com
Five additional networks have been added to Paul Bunyan Television service. All are available to PBTV Lite and PBTV main subscribers. If the new networks do not appear in your guide, reset the set top box and they should appear.
Grit can be found on PBTV channel 177 or HD channel 677 and features a lineup of western and action/adventure movies and series.
Laff can be found on PBTV channel 167 or HD channel 667. Laff is comedy around-the-clock, presenting contemporary popular movies and off-network sitcoms as Home Improvement, Night Court, That ‘70s Show, 3rd Rock from the Sun and more.
Court TV can be found on PBTV channel 273 or HD channel 773. Court TV is devoted to live, gavel-to-gavel coverage, in-depth legal reporting and expert analysis of the nation’s most important and compelling trials
Court TV Mystery can be found on PBTV channel 196 or HD channel 696. Court TV Mystery’s line-up is anchored in stories of crime and mystery and includes the long-running, top-rated crime series The First 48, Forensic Files, American Greed, FBI Files, Crime Watch Daily, Unsolved Mysteries and more.
Bounce can be found on PBTV channel 359 or HD channel 859. Bounce is the fastest-growing African-American network on television and features a programming mix of original series and movies, off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and events and more
The Bemidji Sunrise Rotary, Sons of Norway, and Beltrami County Historical Society annual Lefse Festival is Thursday, November 7 from 5-7 pm at the Bemidji Eagles Club. Tickets are $5 at the door.
The fun includes a Lefse workshop, free samples, Lefse & Krumkake for sale, craft vendors, door prizes, and more!
Our cooperative is a proud sponsor of the event again this year.
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Paul Bunyan Communications is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
