Our offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4 in observation of the Independence Day Holiday.  Our regular office hours will resume on Friday, July 5.

We proudly serve rural areas of Park Rapids and invite you to join us Thursday, June 27 for 2nd Street Stage – Musicians in downtown Park Rapids from 6-8 p.m.

Enjoy the music of Mae Simpson 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 27 in observation of the Memorial Day Holiday.

We are excited to announce that Emily Timm of Cohasset is the recipient of a $2,500 college scholarship from Paul Bunyan Communications and the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) the philanthropic arm of NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association.

Emily is the daughter Jon and Connie Timm. She plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the fall to pursue a materials science and engineering degree.

Receiving an FRS scholarship is quite an achievement because we had more than 1,300 applications for the 55 scholarships we awarded this year,” said FRS Executive Director Pam Becker. “The students who are receiving these scholarships are curious, smart, hard-working, kind, and give me hope for the future. Providing opportunities for young people in rural communities has been a core mission for FRS for the past 30 years, and it would not be possible without the generous support of NTCA members and other individuals in the rural broadband industry”

“Congratulations Emily! We are thrilled to offer this additional scholarship opportunity to students in northern Minnesota,” said Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor. “Our cooperative has had a commitment to education in the region for a long time and the FRS scholarship program enables rural telecommunications providers like us to show additional support for the youth living the communities we serve. It is a source of tremendous pride for us that Emily was selected as a recipient this year!”

In addition to providing the opportunity for local students to apply for a statewide scholarship through the Minnesota Telecom Alliance (MTA) and the national FRS scholarship program, Paul Bunyan Communications also provides over $30,000 in scholarships annually to local students from within the cooperative’s service territory.  The scholarships are awarded through area high schools and post-secondary schools.

The 2024 Annual Business Meeting of the Paul Bunyan Communications Cooperative was held on Wednesday, May 22 in the Lakeside Rooms of the Sanford Center in Bemidji.

The meeting included a review of 2023 financial and operational results with presentations from Board President Randy Frisk, Chief Financial Officer Dave Schultz, and Chief Executive Officer Gary Johnson. The meeting will reviewed the 2024 Director election, in which District 5 Director Randy Frisk ran unopposed.

Members interested in receiving the 2023 Annual Report can pick one up at either Paul Bunyan Communications office.

An estimated crowd of nearly 4,000 attended the GigaZone Gaming Championship & TechXpo on Saturday, April 20 at the Sanford Center. The event featured free gaming, numerous gaming tournaments, over 25 technology exhibitors, door prizes, and special guest Danielle Feinberg from Pixar Animation Studios.

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.

Team Mingle Master from Bemidji- Ayden Sander, Cameron Oakgrove, and Milo Collings won the seventh annual GigaZone Gaming Championship and the top team prize of $900.  Team 50 Nations with Tyler Bos from Austin, David Bos from Brainerd, and Trevor Bos from Brainerd took home 2^nd place and the $600 team prize.  A total of 32 of northern Minnesota’s best Rocket League teams competed on the main stadium stage in the GigaZone Championship Arena.

In addition to the Rocket League Tournament, there was several other open tournaments including Fortnite, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Madden 25, and Overwatch 2, Valorant, Super Smash Bros. plus high score competitions in Bemidji Drift, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smugglers Revenge, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, and Donkey Kong.  There were also two tournaments for juniors under 13 and Magic the Gathering Booster Drafts.

Official Results of the 2024 GigaZone Gaming Championship

“Again this year I’m blown away by the talent and energy on display and how people, technology, and fun come together at our event.  Everyone, including the participants, exhibitors, and our Paul Bunyan Communications team we’re all-in, showcasing the tech talent and enthusiasm that exists in our region.  I’m proud our broadband cooperative can produce and host such an exciting event!”, said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO.

.“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 & TechXpo showcases just that,” added Leo Anderson, Paul Bunyan Communications Technology Experience Manager.

“A huge shout out to our entire team for putting on one of the most unique events of this type in the country.  Thank you to all of the exhibitors that were a part of the TechXpo and our local partners, we couldn’t do this without them. 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

For more information about the GigaZone TechXpo visit www.gigazonetechxpo.com

We are excited to announce the winners of the 8^th Pick-it March Mania Challenge! A record 833 participants entered the free online contest to pick the winners of the college basketball tournament games for a chance to win a credit on a Paul Bunyan Communications account.

 The top 10 finishers all won a credit on their Paul Bunyan Communications account.

1^st Place-         Jacob Amble, Bemidji  $500 credit

2^nd Place-       Dean Britton, Menahga $500 credit

3^rd Place-         Sean Mull, Britt  $100 credit

4^th Place-         Dennis Bowman  $50 credit

5^th Place-         John Foster, Cohasset  $50 credit

6^th Place-         Darin Kapphahn, Laporte $50 credit

7^th Place-         John Skrbec, Grand Rapids  $50 credit

8^th Place-         Sarah Markert, Bemidji $50 credit

9^th Place-         Anthony Djonne, Bemidji  $50 credit

10^th Place-       Christina Brown, Bovey  $50 credit

Random Prize Drawing:

Jonathan Fraundorf, Bemidji   (666th place)  $100 Credit

The 2024 GigaZone Gaming Championship & TechXpo is Saturday, April 20 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji.  Admission and all the gaming is FREE!  Doors open at 10 a.m. with special guest Danielle Feinberg from Pixar Animation Studios on the main stage at 2 p.m.

You can open game on various consoles, arcade games, and pinball or enter one of the many gaming tournaments for cash & prizes.  The feature tournaments this year include Rocket League, Overwatch 2, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Madden 24, Valorant, Fortnite, and more.

Registration for all tournaments will start at the Sanford Center April 20 at 10 a.m. and it is first come, first in until full.  All tournaments are FREE to enter but you will need to a GigaZone Gaming Player Profile to register that day so create that now at www.gigazonegaming.com

The GigaZone TechXpo will feature over 25 exhibitors that will expose a growing regional audience to technology innovation and potential career opportunities in technology right here in northern Minnesota.

This Paul Bunyan Communications event includes the talents of many local partners including NLFX, Accidentally Cool Games, Northern Amusement, the Sanford Center, as well as support from several regional and national partners.

Please note that our offices will be opening at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 23.

That is 1/2 hour later than our regular opening time of 8 a.m.