Join in the fun of the 22nd Annual Shriner’s Weekend at Bemidji State University September 14-15!
Friday
Saturday
Thanks to recent upgrades to the Cooperative’s all-fiber optic communications network over 2,100 more locations in/around Cass Lake and the Leech Lake Reservation now have access to GigaZone services including Internet speeds up to a Gigabit per second!
“It’s an exciting day for our cooperative members in the Cass Lake area and on the Leech Lake Reservation. The GigaZone will not only provide the capacity to handle current communication technologies quickly and efficiently, it will also meet the increasing demands of the next generation of broadband innovations. Our cooperative serves a portion of the Leech Lake Reservation but we do not serve their entire geographic footprint. Working with the Tribal Council we anticipate expanding our network to even more locations on the reservation in the coming years!” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
“We have been working on this as a team. We are very excited about the benefits it will bring to the Leech Lake Band members,” said Leech Lake Tribal Chairman Faron Jackson.
The GigaZone is currently available to over 35,500 locations, making it one of the largest rural all-fiber optic networks in the United States! Check out our online map https://www.paulbunyan.net/gigazone/availability-map/ showing the current areas of the GigaZone as well as those that will be constructed/upgraded in the future.
GigaZone service options include unprecedented Broadband Internet speeds of up to 1000 Mbps – a Gigabit in both directions, both upload/download. Members who subscribe to GigaZone Broadband can also add PBTV Fusion and/or low cost unlimited long distance service. All current service options also remain available to cooperative members within the GigaZone.
Most current wireless routers cannot support blazing GigaZone Internet speeds. To help, the cooperative is offering GigaZone Integrated Wi-Fi that uses the latest in advanced Wi-Fi technologies to maximize the in-home wireless experience. This service is free to all new GigaZone customers for the first six months, with a minimal charge thereafter.
The 27th Annual United Way Chili Cookoff is Wednesday, September 19 from 11-1 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji.
Sample dozens of different chilis prepared by various community businesses and organizations.
Tickets are just $8 in advance or $10 at the door. Advance tickets available at Lueken’s or the United Way office.
We support Evergreen Youth & Family Services and the 12th Annual Run, Walk, Skate for suicide prevention on Saturday, September 8 at the The Sanford Center in Bemidji.
The 2018 Itasca Area Girlfriends Gathering Women’s Wellness and Lifestyle Expo presented by Paul Bunyan Communications is Saturday, September 8 from 11-3:30 at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids. Admission is free and the fun includes a marketplace to browse and shop, break out sessions on cooking, health care, art, and this year’s keynote speaker is Tasha Schuh, “enjoy your ride”. It’s the 2018 Itasca Area Girlfriends Gathering Women’s Wellness and Lifestyle Expo presented by Paul Bunyan Communications Saturday, September 8 in Grand Rapids sponsored in part by Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital and the Reif Center.
The 2018 GigaZone Gaming Championship is this Saturday, October 20 at the Sanford Center! Doors open at 10 a.m. All the fun is FREE with open console and arcade gaming, along with tournaments you can enter throughout the day.
You can follow the hash tag #GZGC18 on Facebook or Twitter to keep up with updates. Lots of activity will be happening between today and the tourney!
For a complete rundown of the rules and to register your team, visit www.gigazonegaming.com
Our cooperative is proud to serve Turtle River and the surrounding area! We invite you to the annual Turtle River Day Celebration on Saturday, August 25 from 8-4.
There is fun for the whole family including 5k, kiddie carnival with a bounce house, car show, parade, and much more!
Bemidji State University will hold its 13th Annual Community Appreciation Day Thursday, August 30. The free event is Bemidji State’s “thank you” to the residents, business owners and friends in Beaver Nation for all they do to support the university.
The free, public event will run from 4:30-6 p.m. on the lawn near the Lower Hobson Memorial Union followed by BSU Football’s first home game of the season against Northern State with kick off at 6. Free shuttle bus service from the parking lots at Bangsberg Hall and the John Glas Fieldhouse will begin at 4:15 p.m. Guests parking in the Bangsberg parking lot are encouraged to use the lakefront trail to reach the event.
Paul Bunyan Communications is a major sponsor of the event, which will include “A Taste of BSU,” featuring free food samples from local restaurants and organizations along with live music.
There will also be “Meet the Beavers” stations where kids can meet student-athletes from BSU’s intercollegiate varsity sports. The players will be leading a number of interactive games and Bucky the Beaver will be available for pictures.
In addition, dozens of booths from various campus departments/activities and local businesses and organizations, along with a variety of games and activities for children will be available throughout the evening.
The 2018 Cooperative Celebration saw one of the nicest days of the event’s history, drawing over 5,700 to our Bemidji headquarters on May 23 and making the night another resounding success!
The 62nd Annual Business Meeting of Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative was held prior to the Open House at 3:30 p.m. The meeting included reports for the 2017 fiscal year and the re-election of board director Glenda Martin, District 6 and election of new director Mark Matteson, District 4. Both candidates were unopposed at their respective Caucus held in April.
The Cooperative Celebration was open to the public and featured a free walleye dinner prepared by the Bemidji Fire Department Fish Fry Crew and Lueken’s Village Foods, door prizes, kids’ activities like face painting, balloons, temporary tattoos, storytelling, animals and entertainment from the Headwaters Science Center, United States Tennis Association’s Quickstart Tennis, Concordia Language Villages, and special guests The Rugrats from Nickelodeon and Wes Walz, former Minnesota Wild Captain and current Fox Sports North Wild Analyst. The Wrecking Crew from Grand Rapids provided the musical entertainment.
Special thanks to the over 130 employees of Paul Bunyan Communications who made the event possible and run as smooth as possible! We would also like to thank the Bemidji Fire Department, Lueken’s Village Foods, The Party Store, Minnesota State Patrol, Bemidji Police Department, Beltrami County Sheriff’s Department, Paul Bunyan Transit, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Headwater’s Science Center, Bob’s Econo Pump, Bemidji Area Tennis Association, Boy Scouts, Concordia Language Villages, Boys and Girls Club of Bemidji, Sanford Health Accessories, and Raphael’s Bakery for all their help.
Recently new federal legislation was passed that allows Internet Service Providers to sell their customers’ web browsing history. Paul Bunyan Communications wants to reassure its members that no matter what the law allows they do not collect and sell member’s web browsing history.
“Our members’ privacy is of the utmost importance to our member-owned and governed cooperative. We have never sold member web browsing history and have no plans to do so in the future regardless of what the rules and regulations may allow,” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.
“As you might imagine we are getting calls from concerned customers and members of our cooperative as the news of this new legislation spreads. We feel it is extremely important to reassure our customers that our cooperative will not sell their web browsing history. It’s your cooperative and your data, period. Any provider who sells their customers’ web browsing history without their consent is putting profits ahead of the trust of its customers and we believe that flies in the face of common decency, customer privacy, and certainly our cooperative values and principles,” added Johnson.
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