Winter 2017
THE LINK
DAKOTA
CENTRAL’S BRAND
NEW LOOK
SPOTLIGHT
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
Agri-Cover, Inc.
At Dakota Central, we realized we had a
problem: we provide our customers with
better technology than the big guys—faster
Internet, more reliable service and a superior
customer experience—but our company look
didn’t accurately reflect our capabilities.
That’s why we’re happy to introduce our brand
new look! We’ve updated our company look
to reflect the company we are: your local
broadband provider that has been here for
decades and keeps on innovating. We’re
always on the lookout for ways to serve you
better, including our recent release of Gigabit
Internet, with speeds up to 100 times faster
than the national average.
While our look is changing, our investment
to you, our community, remains the same.
We’re still the same people who have served
you in the past, provide you with awesome
technology today, and consider it a privilege
to serve you as we move together toward the
future. We’re still your friends and neighbors,
and we’re still here to answer your questions,
offer you forward-thinking products and
services, solve your problems, and laugh with
you along the way.
Thanks for being a Dakota Central customer, and we hope you enjoy our new look as
much as we do!
As a manufacturing facility, Agri-Cover, Inc. is always striving to make processes more efficient and
find ways to do things easier and faster. As soon as you hit the manufacturing floor it is full of noisy
machines, busy workers, and large amounts of coffee. The atmosphere is open and friendly, but
also very fast-paced. Between bikes and forklifts buzzing around, it’s an exciting place!
With the large amount of business done internally, as well as external business like dealer and
customer relations, Internet traffic is huge for Agri-Cover, Inc.; they need a big pipe, so to speak. To
help make Internet transactions happen quicker and more smoothly, they recently upgraded their
Dakota Central Internet to symmetrical Gigabit (1000 mbps), which is the highest speed currently
available. With 1 Gig download and upload speeds, they are able to conduct business seamlessly.
Systems Administrator, Justin Kangas said sending large files used to take six to seven hours with
10 mbps upload speed, and now takes 20 minutes with a Gig. “Gig has been fantastic” Justin said,
“I only have good things to say about it.” Nearly all aspects of business for Agri-Cover, Inc. rely
on a fast Internet connection, including processing online orders, freight shopping, even online
videos for training purposes. Agri-Cover, Inc. also depends on a reliable voice service as much of
their communication with suppliers and customers is done over the phone.
The company was started as a grain truck cover manufacturer, but have since expanded into many
different product lines including snow plows, LED lights, mud flaps and their most popular tonneau
covers. With 127 employees, business is constantly changing and expanding. Justin explained
how it is important for them to make sure things are working as efficiently as they could be, or if
there is a better way to do things. For example, bikes were implemented to get from one end of
the building to the other- which is much easier and faster than walking!
With a fast moving business like Agri-Cover, Inc., it is necessary to remain on the cutting edge
of technology by utilizing the highest quality data and voice services available. Dakota Central is
pleased to provide Agri-Cover, Inc. with these services!
DAKOTACENTRAL.COM | 652.3184 OR 952.1000
A letter from our
General Manager
November seemed to mislead us into thinking that we were in store for a mild winter with little snow.
Little did we know that what was in store for us on December 6th and 7th was 16 inches of snow
and howling winds piling the snow higher than garage doors! With the onslaught of snow and wind
we were forced to shut our Carrington office down the afternoon of the 6th and all day the 7th. The
Jamestown office faired a bit better and was able to open at noon on the 7th. In the 37 years that I
have been at Dakota Central, I can’t recall closing the office for a full day due to a blizzard. We can
only hope the rest of winter treats us all better.
With the November elections over, we move forward into 2017 with many uncertainties. Presidentelect Trump succeeded in winning the election with an unprecedented campaign style. At this time,
we all have many questions as to how he will proceed with all the issues our nation faces. In the
telecommunications industry, the experts are guessing he will favor less regulation. With a Republican
administration, we will have a new Chairman of the FCC in January and also 3 of the 5 members will
be from the Republican Party. It’s very possible the FCC could change its position on net neutrality and
USF reform policies adopted by the past administration. We are hoping the new administration will
recognize the continuing need of broadband infrastructure investment, as well as provide sufficient
funding through USF contribution reform.
Upgrading our entire network to provide Gigabit broadband was a major accomplishment for 2016. It
was the culmination of two-years of work changing out the thousands of Optical Network Terminals
(ONTs) located at your homes and businesses.
Keith Larson, CEO/GM
Earlier in the year Paul Berg, our Chief Plant Officer, announced that it was his desire to retire after
the first quarter of 2017. Paul is a long-term employee that has been with Dakota Central since 1980
and has guided the company through all the major projects over the past 20 years including the
Jamestown construction and the transition from a copper to fiber-based network. I commend Paul
for his commitment to Dakota Central and a job well done!
As a result of Paul’s impending retirement, we felt it was an opportune time to consult an engineering
firm to perform an operational review of the processes and procedures our employees perform. As a
result, we have been interviewing many of our technical employees for various positions and duties
throughout the company. We expect this next year will be one of great transition as quite a number of
employees will need to be training their replacements, as well as learning their new responsibilities.
Please see the accompanying newsletter article for all the details.
We are planning some smaller fiber construction projects around Jamestown next year but most of
our focus will be on operational changes, implementing new software and improving our internal
process and procedures.
I hope you all had a great holiday season. Stay warm!
DO NOT CALL
Say “Do-Not-Call” to Unwanted Telemarketers
The National Do Not Call Registry has been established to address unwelcome telemarketing calls.
The registry applies to all telemarketers, with the exception of businesses with whom you have
an existing relationship and certain non-profit and political organizations. You can register your
telephone numbers (both landline and cell phones) online at WWW.DONOTCALL.GOV or call toll-free,
1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236), from the number you wish to register. Registration is free.
DAKOTACENTRAL.COM | 652.3184 OR 952.1000
CONGRATS
PAUL BERG ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
Chief Plant Officer Paul Berg has announced that he will be retiring in April
of 2017 after nearly 37 years of service with Dakota Central. Paul has helped
guide the company through numerous major projects over the years, including
the complete construction of the Jamestown network and the transition from
copper to a fiber-based network. Most recently, Paul has worked on expanding
our network to underserved areas around Jamestown and along the Jamestown
Reservoir.
If you get a chance to say “congrats” to Paul on his retirement, we would bet he will have a story
or two for you. We will miss Paul’s witty jokes and fun sense of humor! Paul will be enjoying his
retirement with his wife Bonnie in sunny Arizona and looks forward to spending time with his five
grandchildren.
Dakota Central thanks Paul for his many years of service and commitment to the company, and
wishes him good health, good times and the best of luck in retirement!
DAKOTA CENTRAL
NAMED CERTIFIED
GIG-CAPABLE
PROVIDER BY NTCA
Dakota Central was recently recognized by NTCA-The Rural Broadband
Association, the premier association representing nearly 900
independent, community-based telecommunications companies that
are leading innovation in rural and small town America, as a Certified
Gig-Capable Provider for delivering gigabit broadband speeds and
enabling technological innovation in the Jamestown, Carrington and
surrounding communities.
As a Certified Gig-Capable Provider, Dakota Central joins a national
campaign to build awareness and industry recognition of communitybased telecom providers that have built communications networks
capable of delivering Internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second,
which is 100 times faster than those currently available in many U.S.
households. Dakota Central also received tools to promote itself as a
Gig-Capable Provider in the Jamestown and Carrington communities
and will be recognized in NTCA media, on the NTCA website, and
during association conferences and events.
“I applaud Dakota Central for its commitment to delivering the Internet’s
fastest speeds—an accomplishment worthy of much praise considering
the unique and challenging circumstances small, community-based
telecommunications providers operate under every day in serving some
of our country’s most rural and remote communities,” said NTCA Chief
Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield. “By building a gigabit-capable
network, Dakota Central has not only overcome these challenges,
but also shattered conventional benchmarks for broadband speed to
enable cutting-edge technologies that drive innovation and promote
economic development in their communities, region and nationwide.”
To achieve certification, telecommunications companies must show that
gigabit technology is currently commercially available within 95% of
one or more exchanges within its serving territory and that such service
can be provided without new trenching or stringing new aerial facilities.
This statement must be confirmed by a letter from an engineering
firm or other independent source involved in the company’s network
planning, deployment or operation.
PERSONNEL CHANGES
After the company’s operational review, we have modified some
processes and procedures to help make workflow more efficient. As a
result, we are pleased to announce a few employees moving into new
positions, as of January 1, 2017.
John Cunningham has taken on the position
of Chief Network Operations Officer. John will
oversee all plant operations, including construction
and maintenance.
Marty Bauer is taking on the new role of Jamestown
Operations Manager. Marty will coordinate and
oversee the daily activities of Jamestown staff
and works in conjunction with the Chief Network
Operations Officer.
Paul Roller will be the new Network Coordinator.
Paul’s duties as Network Coordinator will include
design, implementation, operation and maintenance
of the network infrastructure, as well as enforcing
security procedures, installing network software,
and managing network performance.
Rod Wolters has taken on the position of Central
Office Coordinator. Rod is responsible for
coordinating central office technicians as well as
assisting with the implementation of new technology.
Rod will also be responsible for maintaining central
office equipment and buildings.
Brian Paulson has moved into a Central Office
Technician role, and will concentrate on IPTV
functions such as IPTV equipment maintenance
and troubleshooting when issues arise.
More information about the NTCA Gig-Capable Provider certification
program is available at www.ntca.org/gigcertified.
DAKOTACENTRAL.COM | 652.3184 OR 952.1000
USF FAQ’S
UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND (USF) FAQ’S
What is the Universal Service Fund?
The USF is a government administered fund, not a government paid
fund, to support the provision of telecommunications services in rural
and high cost areas, low income consumers and to schools, libraries
and healthcare facilities nationwide. All telecommunications customers
contribute to the USF on an equal basis.
How does it work for Dakota Central?
The Universal Service High-Cost program, of which Dakota Central is a
part of, is designed to ensure that consumers in rural and high cost areas
have access to telecommunications services at rates that are affordable
and reasonably comparable to those in urban areas. The program fulfills
this universal service goal by allowing eligible carriers who serve these
areas to recover some of their operating costs from the federal Universal
Service Fund. The fund reimbursement is based only on local phone
service subscriptions.
What has changed?
The FCC order released on November 18, 2011, established annual
benchmarks for how much must be charged for local service by USF
high cost program participants to remain eligible for the program.
Why don’t you just opt-out of the USF program?
If we gave up the support funds we receive, local rates we would need
to charge would rise significantly higher than the mandated minimums
issued in the FCC order. Our cooperative serves almost 5,000 square
miles, a vast majority of which is rural, high cost service areas. The fund
was created to ensure access to telecommunication services at rates
comparable to urban areas, but that would not be feasible without the
funding we have received through this program.
Will I continue to be required to subscribe to a line of
local phone service to receive broadband Internet and
Cable TV services?
Yes. Since the FCC continues to base USF reimbursement on local phone
line subscriptions, we must keep this requirement in place. If we did not
require a phone line subscription, the cooperative would not receive USF
funding and the rate for broadband Internet and cable TV service would
have to be adjusted accordingly, which would result in rates at least four
times that of the current monthly service. We do anticipate changes to
this requirement in the future, but it will need to remain in place as long
as USF is based only on local phone networks.
What has Dakota Central done with the USF funding it
has received?
Exactly what the program was intended for. Maintaining our existing
telecommunications network to provide reliable services and upgrade
it to offer advanced communication services. We were one of the first in
the country to upgrade our network so that all customers, no matter how
rural, could receive broadband Internet services. We also were one of the
first to offer television services with broadband Internet and telephone
services over the same network. At the same time, we’ve maintained
affordable rates on all of the services we provide, comparable to those
you would find in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York.
What has Dakota Central done to resolve the problem?
State and national industry organizations that we are members of
have been actively lobbying for rural telecommunication providers.
Unfortunately, there are many competing interests involved and this
recent FCC order will hurt you, our cooperative and rural Americans
across the country. We will continue to support lobbying efforts aimed
at creating a USF that achieves its mission as the law states. Until further
changes are made, we must operate within the existing regulations as
a USF high cost participant.
Who can I call to voice my concerns?
You may contact the Federal Communications Commission, your US
Senator, or US House of Representative. Please share your experiences
with our cooperative providing you access to advanced communication
services and encourage them to seek Universal Service Fund reform
that is less onerous to rural Americans and rural communication service
providers.
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20554
1-888-225-5322
http://www.fcc.gov
UNITED STATES SENATORS
Senator Heidi Heitkamp
110 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-2043
http://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/
Senator John Hoeven
338 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-2551
https://www.hoeven.senate.gov
UNITED STATES CONGRESS
Congressman Kevin Cramer
1032 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-2611
http://cramer.house.gov
What about rates?
While the rate of local phone service will be increasing, it still remains
less expensive when compared to local telephone service from a cable
company or wireless service provider.
DAKOTACENTRAL.COM | 652.3184 OR 952.1000
FUN AT THE
PARADE
EMPLOYEE
CERTIFICATIONS
Dakota Central employees had a blast
participating in the local holiday parades
this winter with our “Elf on the Shelf”
theme! Paul Roller, Deedra Aasand and
Lori Solberg braved the snow during
Carrington’s Parade of Lights and the
first blizzard of the winter. Brianne
Partlow, Ryan Fisher, Melissa Vetter
and Jon Slusser enjoyed the beautiful
evening during the Holiday Dazzle parade
downtown Jamestown!
Ryan Larson and Angie Wolfe, Network
Technicians, have recently completed Comp
TIA’s Network+ Certification. The Network+
Certification course is structured by the
following topics: Network architecture,
network operations, network security,
troubleshooting and industry standards,
practices and network theory.
Our Network Technicians are required to
have extensive knowledge of network
technology in order to successfully
troubleshoot and maintain our network,
which is important for our customers. This
certification course validates the essential
knowledge and skills needed to accurately
design, configure, manage and troubleshoot
any wired and wireless networks. Security
is also an important concern when dealing
with Internet functions.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Congratulations to Ryan and Angie for
completing the Comp TIA Network+
Certification!
2017 SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Foundation for Rural Service
Offers $75,000 in Scholarships
Dakota Central offering
$1,000 scholarships!
Applications are available at the Dakota Central
office for a scholarship being offered from the
Foundation for Rural Service (FRS). FRS is a
national non-profit organization that helps
educate the public on the telecommunications
industry and improve the quality of life
throughout rural America. FRS is an affiliate
of the National Telephone Cooperative
Association (NTCA), an Arlington, VA-based
trade organization of 540 independent
telephone companies across the country, of
which Dakota Central is a member. As your
local telecommunications service provider, it is
our pleasure to participate in this scholarship
program. Should a student from our service area
be selected to receive one of the 30 national
scholarships ($2000 each), we will contribute
an additional $500 to the scholarship, bringing
the total one-time scholarship award to $2,500.
It should be noted that preference will be
given to individuals expressing an interest
in returning to a rural area to work following
graduation. For more information on the FRS
Scholarship program and to download an
application visit, www.frs.org and follow the
link on the homepage. Applications can also
be picked up at the Dakota Central office.
Completed applications should be sent to
Dakota Central to be signed by a Dakota
Central representative and submitted to the
FRS, postmarked no later than March 1, 2017.
The Dakota Central Board of Directors are
pleased to announce the seventeenth year
of the Dakota Central Scholarship Program, and
the third year of the Jerry Eissinger Memorial
Scholarship. Dakota Central awards five $1,000
scholarships, and the top scoring applicant
is also awarded the Jerry Eissinger Memorial
Scholarship of $500. That means High School
seniors have a chance to be awarded a total
of $1,500 in scholarships!
To be eligible, the applicant must currently
be a high school senior who plans to attend
a college,university, vocational or technical
post secondary school. The student’s parent(s)
or guardian(s) must use telephone, television
or Internet service from Dakota Central. To
be considered for this year’s scholarship,
applications must be postmarked no later than
March 1, 2017. Applications have been mailed
to area high schools and may also be obtained
by calling or stopping by the Dakota Central
office in Carrington or Jamestown, or at www.
dakotacentral.com/scholarships.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
DAKOTACENTRAL.COM | 652.3184 OR 952.1000
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
BISMARK, ND
PERMIT NO. 433
630 5th Street North
PO Box 299
Carrington, ND 58421
Win credit on your
Dakota Central bill!
Win a $25 credit on your Dakota Central bill.
Just return this coupon by February 28th, 2017, to
be eligible for the drawing.
Congratulations to last issue’s winner:
Julie Schmidt, Jamestown.
Name:
Phone #:
HELP US
LOCATE THESE MEMBERS
The following is a list of members that had a Capital Credit check or statement
issued by Dakota Central Telecommunications Cooperative in May 2016 that
remain unclaimed or uncashed. If your name is on the list or if you can help
us locate someone whose name is on the list, please contact Dakota Central
at 652.3184 or 952.1000, or contact Deedra Aasand at [email protected].
2016 Capital Credit addresses needed:
Cindy L Baughman
Mike May, Prairie Wynde Tattoos
John T Beyer
Rosanne J McClain
Della Brilz
Deb Olson
Elizabeth Butler
Timothy & Shelly Pope
Michael F Chamness
Stephanie Rode
Dakota Dist Church of the Nazarene
Kathy Schuster
Robert L Emanuelson
Betty J Thompson
Michele L Jones
Nathan & Bree Triplett
Guy Kenitzer
Dong Xuejun
Lori Krueger
Charles S Lewis
DAKOTACENTRAL.COM | 652.3184 OR 952.1000