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.

Thousands made their way to the Sanford Center on Saturday, April 12 for the highly anticipated GigaZone Gaming Championship & TechXpo, hosted by Paul Bunyan Communications. The free, all-day event featured competitive gaming tournaments, hands-on tech exhibits, prize giveaways, and a keynote from special guest Duncan Wardle, former Head of Innovation and Creativity at Disney.

Designed to spotlight both the region’s tech talent and Paul Bunyan Communications’ cutting-edge all-fiber optic broadband network, the event has grown into one of the largest rural gaming events in the country.

At the heart of the day’s excitement was the main stage Rocket League tournaments. Team 50 Nations—comprised of Tyler Bos (Austin), David Bos and Trevor Bos (Brainerd)—took home the championship title and a $900 team prize. Slithering Hampsters, with players Jace Nyberg and Bryce Giving (Marble), and Jayden St. Cair (Bovey), claimed second place and a $600 prize. A total of 32 of the region’s best Rocket League teams battled it out under the lights of the GigaZone Championship Arena.

The inaugural GigaZone Gaming High School Invitational was also a major highlight, with Park Center earning the top spot, followed by Edina in second, Mandan (ND) in third, and Norman County East in fourth.

The event also featured tournaments in Fortnite, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Madden 25, Valorant, and Super Smash Bros., along with high score competitions like Bemidji Drift and on retro classics like Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, and Donkey Kong. Younger gamers had their moment to shine in juniors’ tournaments, and Magic: The Gathering gamers were on hand too.

Official Results of the 2025 GigaZone Gaming Championship

Tech enthusiasts also explored more than 20 interactive booths at the TechXpo, where regional and national exhibitors showcased everything from virtual reality and robotics to AI and transportation. Attendees had the chance to test out new gadgets, engage in demos, and talk one-on-one with tech professionals and innovators.

A special announcement from Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College also drew attention, as they revealed the upcoming launch of a joint Esports program set to begin in Fall 2026 – a partnership with Paul Bunyan Communications.

The event was made possible thanks to the collaboration of local and regional partners, including NLFX, Accidentally Cool Games, Northern Amusement, and the Sanford Center, along with support from various technology exhibitors.

For more information about the GigaZone Gaming Championship, visit: www.gigazonegaming.com

For more on the GigaZone TechXpo, visit: www.gigazonetechxpo.com 

Congratulations to the winners of the 9^th Men’s Pick-it March Mania Challenge.  780 participants entered the free online contest to pick the winners of the men’s college basketball tournament games.

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

1^st Place-          Fred Luckeroth, Park Rapids            $500 credit

2^nd Place-        Leonard Brown, Grand Rapids         $250 credit

3^rd Place-         Duane Wallace, Park Rapids            $100 credit

4^th Place-         Mary Graham, Laporte                      $50 credit

5^th Place-         Brad Folkestad, Bemidji                    $50 credit

6^th Place-         Sean Dunaway                                    $50 credit

7^th Place-         Ron Oelrich, Bemidji                         $50 credit

8^th Place-         Russell Folkerts, Blackduck             $50 credit

9^th Place-         Christopher White, Bemidji             $50 credit

10^th Place-       Danny McFarren, Park Rapids        $50 credit

Random Prize Drawing:

Joan Randt, Bemidji      (509th place)                      $100 Credit