District 8 and District 3 Board of Director Election

As a cooperative, Paul Bunyan Communications is governed by a seven-person member-elected Board of Directors.  In 2026, there are two Board of Director positions up for election representing Districts 8 and District 3.

Article III, Section 3 of your Cooperative’s Bylaws requires any member interested in serving as a Director to submit a completed candidate packet to the Cooperative headquarters at least 25 business days prior to the Caucus Election date.  This enables the Cooperative to properly verify the eligibility of all candidates to serve as a member of the Board if elected.  Members interested can find the candidate application packet and related information online at https://paulbunyan.net/cooperative/documents/

The deadline for completed Director-candidate packets to be returned to the Cooperative is 3 p.m. Thursday, February 12.

If there are less than two pre-qualified candidates seeking election to the Board of Directors from the same district (an uncontested district election), no in-person Caucus Meeting and Caucus Election for that district will be held.

If there are two or more pre-qualified candidates seeking election from the same district, the in-person Caucus Meeting will be held and all members residing within the district will be notified by mail of the date, time, and location.  The purpose of the in-person Caucus is to select two pre-qualified candidates to seek election/re-election to be the district’s representative on the Paul Bunyan Communications Board of Directors. Directors serve a five-year term through 2031.

The current director for District 8 is Board Vice-President Jim Sutton and he will not be seeking re-election.

The current director for District 3 is Tracy Mistic-Shaar and she has expressed her intent to seek re-election.

Based on the results of any contested Caucus Election, the names of two candidates are listed on the ballot to be voted on by the general membership of the Cooperative.  Votes are tallied at the Annual Meeting, scheduled for May 20, 2026.  The candidate with the greatest number of votes from the general membership is elected/re-elected as the Director for such district.

Area High School Students age 16 or 17 are encouraged to enter the Paul Bunyan Communications Essay Contest for a chance to attend the 2026 Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. June 1-5, with all expenses paid by Paul Bunyan Communications.

To enter students need to submit a short essay, no more than 500 words in length, on why they would like to attend the Youth Tour and a letter of recommendation from a teacher, coach, or employer. 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 submitted online at paulbunyan.net/youthtour

The deadline for entries is Friday, February 27.

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 the Smithsonian Museums and a beautiful night tour of Washington D.C.

“By equipping our youth with world-class connectivity with Internet speeds up to 10 Gig and connecting them with cultural and educational experiences like the FRS Youth Tour, we aim to inspire students to build their futures here at home and become engaged members of our rural communities,” said Brian Bissonette, Marketing Supervisor at Paul Bunyan Communications.

Paul Bunyan Communications has participated in sending a local high school student to the Youth Tour since 1996.

Recent Youth Tour winners include Joseph Loehlein of Turtle River (2025), Julia Frenzel of Blackduck (2024), Michael Van Horn of Blackduck (2023), and Amelia Scherling of Bemidji (2022) 

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.

Paul Bunyan Television 24-hour Yule Log channel has returned for the holiday season and is available to all PBTV subscribers on channel 99.

“Every year we would get calls wondering where the Yule Log programming may be.  Various networks have provided it in the past and some still do but how long and when varied.  It was hard for us to provide that answer. So our staff created a Yule Log channel for our television customers to have 24/7 throughout the holiday season,” said Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

The PBTV Yule Log channel will air through at least January 3.

As the end of construction season approaches, Paul Bunyan Communications is on track to complete its planned broadband expansion projects across parts of Itasca and St. Louis Counties before freeze out.

Current Status of Paul Bunyan Communications Broadband Expansion projects:

• Itasca County:

City of Coleraine- COMPLETED.  Network is operational and services are now available.

Bearville(s) Township- COMPLETED.  Network is operational and services are now available.

City of Bovey- Construction is done and fiber splicing is ongoing.  Services expected to become available by early January

• St. Louis County:

Sandy Pike, & Wuori Township- COMPLETED.  Network is operational and services are now available.

Alango, Angora, & Owens Township- COMPLETED.  Network is operational and services are now available.

French Township- COMPLETED.  Network is operational and services are now available.

Balkan Township- Construction is done, fiber splicing is ongoing.  Services expected to become available by mid-January

Great Scott Township & unorganized township north of Great Scott- Construction is done, fiber splicing expected to start in a few weeks.  Services projected to be available by end of February

Once the network is operational in a project area, customers who signed up for service will be contacted to schedule service installations.

Sign Up Now for Fiber Optic Connection
Residents and businesses in these expansion areas that have not signed up for service yet can do so at anytime.  We will come back to install the fiber optic connection up to the location when feasible and with no construction fee. Service applications can be done online, by phone, or in person at our Grand Rapids Customer Service & Technology Center.

Services Available Upon Completion
Once the network is live, customers will have access to Paul Bunyan’s GigaZone® services, including high-speed fiber-optic Internet with speeds up to 10 Gig and dependable, low-cost unlimited local and long-distance GigaZone® voice services.

Wednesday, December 31

Offices will close early at 2 p.m. for New Year’s Eve.

Thursday, January 1

Offices will be closed in observation of New Year’s holiday.  Our regular office hours will resume on Friday, January 2.

Emergency 24 hour repair will remain available.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Paul Bunyan Communications!

FOX ONE, FOX’s brand-new streaming app, is now available to PBTV Main Package subscribers at no additional cost as part of your PBTV subscription!

What is FOX ONE?

FOX ONE brings together live and on-demand content from FOX News Channel, FOX Business, Local FOX Station, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, and more—all in one easy-to-use app.

Why You’ll Love It:

• No additional cost – it’s included with your PBTV subscription
• Everything FOX in one place
• Stream live sports, news, and entertainment anytime, anywhere

How to Get Started:

• Download the FOX ONE app > click “select TV provider” > choose: Paul Bunyan Communications > enter your PBTV Everywhere username and password.
• Or, visit FOX.com > click “TV Provider” in the upper right-hand corner > select Paul Bunyan Communications > enter your PBTV Everywhere username and password.
• Dive in and enjoy everything FOX has to offer—live and on demand!

FOX ONE is only available to PBTV Main Package Subscribers.  It is not available to PBTV Economy or PBTV Lite Subscribers.

Keeping Americans Connected with Broadband Built to Last

The idea that all Americans should have reliable access to communications services at a reasonable cost has been a national objective for over a century. Today, the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) helps rural Americans connect to high-quality, affordable broadband and supports critical connections for low-income families, schools, libraries and healthcare facilities in rural communities.

Watch this video to learn about how the USF helps rural Americans get and stay connected.

Community-based providers like Paul Bunyan Communications have led the charge on the mission of universal connectivity in rural America, leveraging a mix of community commitment, private capital, long-term loans and high-cost USF support to deploy networks and deliver services in the most rural parts of the country, keeping rural Americans’ broadband rates more affordable, promoting ongoing broadband network investment, and making the business case to take on network construction loans.

Policymakers in Washington, D.C., are currently debating how to reform universal service programs going forward, so that they can continue to serve the needs of millions of Americans. It is essential that our elected officials in Washington understand the positive impacts that the critical USF programs have had and continue to have on the availability, affordability and sustainability of voice and broadband services for millions of consumers, businesses and anchor institutions in rural America.

Learn more 

Paul Bunyan Communications PBC Academy offers FREE training sessions designed to help cooperative members gain confidence and skills with today’s technology. These hands-on sessions, taught by local cooperative staff, make learning simple, approachable, and fun.

PBC Academy classes are free of charge at Paul Bunyan Communications offices in Bemidji and Grand Rapids.

Current Topic: Streaming Technology featuring DIRECTV

• Grand Rapids
  • Classes held on Tuesdays
• Bemidji 
  • Classes held on Thursdays

Class sizes are limited to 10 participants and advanced online registration is required. Each session will last about an hour with additional time afterward for one-on-one learning.

In addition to the scheduled classes, PBC Academy is available for groups, organizations, or clubs interested in hosting a training session.

Future topics will be added based on member interest and feedback.

For more information or to reserve a spot in an upcoming class, visit https://paulbunyan.net/academy/ or contact academy@paulbunyan.net

Though winter might seem far off, now is the perfect time to plan ahead if you have construction projects in our service area and want to connect to our all-fiber optic network. Sign up for services now to ensure you’re on the construction list before the season ends.

Delaying may push your connection to next season. Act now to secure your spot—don’t wait!