Paul Bunyan Communications is proud to support the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce’s new Chamber Bucks Bonus Gift Card Program with a $7,500 donation to help boost local storm recovery efforts.

This innovative program adds value to every Chamber Bucks gift card purchase, with a special focus on local restaurants and grocery stores—two sectors hit hard by the recent severe storms. A $100 gift card purchase earns the buyer a $75 bonus card, giving families more value while driving immediate revenue to local businesses.

“Our cooperative is deeply rooted in this community; it’s been our home for over 70 years.  We show up every day to support the communities we serve, even more so when our region faces such devastation,” said Chad Bullock, CEO of Paul Bunyan Communications. “This program is an impactful way to help families stretch their dollars while supporting local businesses at the same time.”

“I also want to commend our team at Paul Bunyan Communications.  Like so many others, they rose to the challenge with incredible dedication and resilience,” added Bullock. “Despite significant damage at many of their own homes, our employees worked around the clock to keep our network running, restore service, and support our members. It was a powerful reminder of the strength and commitment that defines our cooperative.”

Thanks to contributions from Paul Bunyan Communications and others, over $75,000 has been raised to fund this limited-time effort, with more than 70 local businesses—including nearly 20 restaurants and grocery stores—already participating.

The program is expected to generate an estimated $1 million in local economic impact, but the bonus cards are only available while funding lasts.

To purchase gift cards and see the full list of participating businesses, visit www.bemidji.org

Our offices will be closed on Friday, July 4 in observation of the Independence Day Holiday.  Our regular office hours will resume on Monday, July 7.

The recent storm that struck the Bemidji area has been devastating and our cooperative headquarters, like so many other homes and businesses, sustained some damage. Nonetheless, our fiber network, which is primarily underground, has remained operational throughout for those with power and/or unaffected by storm damage.  Our Bemidji Cooperative Headquarters is open for business, as is our Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center, with regular office hours of 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

However, some members may still experience outages as the recovery effort continues that are caused by fiber optic cuts, power issues, or damaged equipment.

Important Safety Reminder:
If you plan to remove uprooted trees or dig on your property, please call Gopher State One Call at 811 before you begin.

Many utilities—fiber optics, electric, gas, water, and more—are buried underground. Hitting a buried line can be dangerous and may result in further service interruptions.

Please also use caution and watch for utility pedestals when removing storm debris. They are part of our network and can easily be damaged or pulled out if you’re not careful.

PBTV Customers:
You may notice some intermittent channel outages, even if your area wasn’t directly hit by the storm. While we’ve realigned several satellite dishes, a few were left with unstable foundations. This may cause dish movement during windy conditions and temporary service disruptions until full repairs are made.

If your power has been restored but your internet or TV service is still out, please call us at 888-586-3100. In most cases, services will resume automatically when power is restored unless additional damage occurred.

Our entire team—technicians in the field and staff behind the scenes—has been working tirelessly to restore service and support our members. We’re incredibly proud of their commitment and thankful to everyone showing patience and support through this difficult time.

Please stay safe and know that we are here for our members.  We will continue to monitor the situation and address any outages as they arise as quickly as possible.

We proudly serve rural areas of Park Rapids and invite you to join us Thursday, June 26 for  Park Rapids 2nd Street Stage in downtown Park Rapids from 6-8 p.m.

Enjoy the music of Walking Phoenix and be sure to stop by our table to pick up a free gift while supplies last. There is also a beer garden and door prizes.

Bring your own lawn chair and we’ll see you there!

Our offices will be closed on Monday, May 26 in observation of the Memorial Day Holiday.

Paul Bunyan Communications will be expanding its all-fiber optic network the GigaZone®, to over 3,000 more locations in Itasca and St. Louis County this year with several different projects.

Cities of Coleraine and Bovey in Itasca County

Includes over 500 locations

Areas of Angora, Alango, and Owens Townships in St Louis County

Includes over 300 locations in areas south of the city of Cook.

Areas of Balkan Township in St. Louis County

Includes over 550 locations north of the city of Chisholm in areas of Balkan Township.

These two projects are made possible through the Low-Density Population Grant Program through the state of Minnesota. This project is estimated to cost $7,526,055, with the State of Minnesota’s Low-Population Density Program grant contributing $5,569,281. Paul Bunyan Communications investing $1,881,513, Angora Township $33,104, and Balkan Township $42,157.

Areas of Pike, Sandy, and Wuori Townships

Includes over 645 locations. These areas are primarily South and East of Britt

Areas of French Township in St. Louis County and Bearville(S) Township in Itasca County

Includes over 200 locations East and North of Side Lake including Perch Lake, Luna Lake, and Beatrice Lake.

These two projects are made possible through the USDA ReConnect 3 Grant Program. This project is estimated to cost $13,588,555 with the USDA grant contributing $10,191,416. Paul Bunyan Communications investing $3,381,112, and Wuori Township contributing $16,026.

Areas of Great Scott Township and unorganized township north of Great Scott Township in St Louis County

This expansion includes over 350 locations in areas of Great Scott Township and an unorganized township north of Great Scott.  This includes Dark Lake, Clear Lake, Lake Fourteen, and Lake Leander.

Construction will take place over the summer/fall with services expected to be available by winter. Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network should sign up for service now. That can be done online, over the phone, or in person at our Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center. To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area, visit www.gigazone.com

The cooperative’s services will become available once the network is operational including GigaZone^™ Internet with speeds of up to 10 Gig and low cost unlimited local and long distance GigaZone^™ voice telephone service. There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications, membership is gained by subscribing to local phone service or GigaZone^™ Internet service.

Paul Bunyan Communications is excited to announce that we will be expanding our all-fiber optic network the GigaZone® to over 800 more locations in the cities of Coleraine and Bovey this year.

City of Bovey

Includes over 350 locations and construction is anticipated to start in late summer/early fall

City of Coleraine

Includes over 480 locations and construction will start in mid-May.

Construction will take place this construction season with services expected to be available by winter. Anyone interested in getting connected to the all-fiber optic broadband network should sign up for service now. That can be done online, over the phone, or in person at our Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center. To check to see if a specific location is within an expansion area, visit www.gigazone.com

We are excited to announce that Gunther Erbstoesser of Hines and Juel Luettinger of Bemidji have each been awarded scholarships from the Minnesota Telecom Alliance (MTA) Foundation through Paul Bunyan Communications!

Gunther Erbstoesser, a senior at Blackduck High School, was selected as the recipient of the prestigious $3,000 Bud Morrow Award. He plans to attend St. Cloud State University.  The Bud Morrow Scholarship is named after a long-time leader in the Minnesota Telecom Industry.  Bud spent his career at the Lakedale Telephone Company in Annandale, MN.  Bud was actively involved in the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, serving on many committees and leading the changes in the industry during his tenure.

Juel Luettinger, a senior at Bemidji High School, received a $2,000 General MTA Foundation Scholarship. She plans to attend the University of St. Thomas.

“We’re excited to have this opportunity to invest in the futures of outstanding students like Juel and Gunther. Rural communities need bright, educated, and passionate young people to help lead us forward. It’s always a proud moment for Paul Bunyan Communications when local students are recognized with statewide honors.” said Paul Bunyan Communications CEO Chad Bullock.

The MTA Foundation is part of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance, a St. Paul-based trade organization representing more than 44 telephone companies and cooperatives throughout Minnesota.