Who We Are What We Do &
BAND represents 13 independent cooperatives and 3 privately owned companies serving approximately 140,000 North Dakota residents and businesses and employing over 1,000 to provide broadband Internet – representing nearly $100M in yearly wages. We serve, employ, provide and support North Dakotans with fiber Internet to homes, businesses, farms, schools, hospitals and communities.
For more than half a century we have built and expanded advanced telecommunications networks to the unserved and underserved residents and businesses of North Dakota. Today – the technology demanded by our customers is fiber Internet. Fiber is the only future proof technology capable of providing symmetrical speeds that ensures reliable connectivity for work, education, healthcare, entertainment and everyday life.
BAND’s members increase home values, maintain populations, create economic development opportunities and enhance the quality of life in North Dakota. BAND members have invested more than $1.5 billion in recent years to maintain and expand fiber connectivity.
BAND has represented the interests of rural broadband, voice and video service providers in North Dakota since 1953 and its members maintain approximately 73,000 miles of fiber.
Jan Stebbins President Consolidated Telcom janstebs@ndsupernet.com
Stanley Vangsness 2nd Vice President SRT Communications boardsv@srt.com
Shane Morris
BEK Communications shane.morris@bektel.coop
Ralph Neu Dickey Rural Telephone rdsjneu@drtel.net
Brian Udby Polar Communications budby@polartel.coop
Leslie Grubb Northwest Communications lgncc@nccray.com
Deidre Kilde MLGC dkilde@mlgc.email
Jennifer Sorenson 1st Vice President RTC Networks jennifers@restel.com
Jay Seibel Secretary/Treasurer West River Telecommunications jays@wrtc.com
Craig Headland Dakota Central Telecommunications cheadland@ndlegis.gov
Jeff Pattison Nemont Telephone jeff.pattison@nemont.coop
Tim Viland Red River Communications timv@redrivercomm.com
Steve Bjornstad United Telephone stevebjorn2125@gmail.com
Lori Dahl NDTC ldahl@polartel.coop
We’ve been delivering on our mission since 1996 and the best fiber optic provider in North Dakota – DCN – just keeps getting better.
Dakota Carrier Network is a unique partnership between its 13 owner companies – independent rural broadband service providers across North Dakota. The partnership continues to grow as DCN works to provide businesses, government and other communications companies reliable, scalable and secure technology solutions.
DCN offers a variety of services including carrier Ethernet, cloud services, co-location/data center, cybersecurity solutions, data storage and recovery, dedicated internet access, SD-WAN, and wavelength services. Together, DCN and its owners serve customers in nearly 400 communities, and with more than 70,000 miles of fiber optic cable in service, North Dakotans can count on them for reliable, fast internet.
North Dakota has been honored by several publications and organizations as having one of the best data networks in the United States. We are proud to say that North Dakota has deployed our network to bring gigabit network technologies to every school district and government body in the state.
Seth Arndorfer CEO
BEK Communications Cooperative
Established in 1952, BEK Communications Cooperative, headquartered in Steele, offers a wide array of fiber-based services such as broadband Internet, voice, IP television, and cloud-based surveillance. BEK also provides cloud-based business communications nationwide, advanced healthcare solutions to various facilities in ND, SD, and W. MN, and Cybernet Security services. Notably, BEK’s achievements include the 2023 ‘Premier Technology Business’ award from the Technology Council of North Dakota, and for the third year in a row BEK TV was voted “BEST of the BEST local TV stations, adding to their impressive accolades over the years.
Consolidated Telcom
Since 1961, Consolidated has served the people of southwestern North Dakota. In 2005, Consolidated took on the very ambitious goal of serving all cooperative customers with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure. Today Consolidated is 100% FTTH in all its cooperative exchanges. Consolidated is working towards the same goal in Dickinson - upgrading customers from cable to fiber.
Dakota Central
Dakota Central was one of the first telecommunications cooperatives to deploy fiber and offer broadband services in North Dakota. We completed our fiber build in 2012 and our 100% FTTH network has facilitated significant growth in our service area. We have continued to invest in our robust fiber network and are now providing speeds up to 10 Gbps, the fastest speed available in the nation.
Dickey Rural Networks
Founded in 1950, DRN was created to bring telephone service to rural southeastern North Dakota. We began our first FTTH project in 2004 (completed in 2012) and are proud to provide 100% FTTH service through our service area consisting of 32 exchanges in seven North Dakota counties and two South Dakota counties. In 2021, we celebrated the grand opening of our Casselton office as part of our strategic planning to expand into eastern North Dakota, where we serve Casselton, Horace, and Mapleton with gigabit broadband.
Schimke CEO/General Manager
Halstad Telephone Company (HTC), headquartered in Halstad, Minnesota, began operations in 1904 and has grown to serve members and customers throughout the Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota. HTC provides broadband services, telephone, and cable TV to more than 2,800 residents and businesses through reliable fiber-to-thepremises (FTTP). HTC is the provider of choice in the areas it serves. HTC has also partnered with R&J Broadcasting, Inc. to stream local events from more than 16 schools, including the Fargo-Moorhead metro area through the YourLiveEvent YouTube channel.
2024 BAND Member Broadband Service Areas
Note: areas with cross hatching denote either planned fiber installations or those currently undergoing fiber deployment.
MLGC
Our story begins in 1906 and as a fourth-generation, family-owned company, we are proud to deliver ultra-high-speed broadband services. In 2009, we began converting our customers from copper to fiber and we are now a 100% fiber optic network that enables speeds up to 5 Gbps! Our most recent ventures include providing fiber optic service to the rural areas of Horace, South Fargo, Kindred, Davenport, Mapleton and Hickson.
NDTC
NDTC, headquartered in Devils Lake, began operation in 1993. Owned by a consortium of three cooperatives (United Communications, Dakota Central and Polar Communications), NDTC provides advanced communications services to customers in northeastern North Dakota. In 2006, we began offering fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) and in 2018 we were recognized as a Smart Rural Community Gig-Certified provider. NDTC currently offers speeds up to 10 Gbps.
Nemont Telephone Cooperative, Inc.
Organized in 1950, Nemont began offering Internet service in 1996 with high-speed services released in 2000. Most of Nemont’s exchanges are now equipped with high-speed Internet service. Since 2007, Nemont has invested millions upgrading its copper network to stay ahead of consumer and business demand for advanced services. Nemont provides service over 14,000 square miles in Northwestern North Dakota, Northeastern and South Central Montana and Northern Wyoming. * Company also operates outside of North Dakota. These statistics are for North Dakota only.
Northwest Communications Cooperative
NCC was formed in 1951 to bring reliable telecommunication services to the homes and businesses in northwest North Dakota. In 2020, NCC completed a fiber build-out to bring a state-of-the-art network to 100% of their service area. Based out of Ray, NCC also finds great importance of being part of the communities they serve by sponsoring community, youth and school events as well as student scholorships. Visit nccray.com for more information.
Polar Communications Cooperative
Polar Communications was founded in 1952 with a core mission: to be an innovative industry leader that meets the evolving needs of our customers by developing the necessary technology and tools. Today, decades later, that mission continues to guide us as we serve more than 8,000 subscribers in North Dakota and Minnesota. Our fiber optic network allows us to provide the very best in broadband Internet and voice services at affordable rates. We also provide advanced business services such as phone systems, video surveillance and advanced networking.
Red River Communications
We are a telecommunications Cooperative established in 1951 and headquartered in Abercrombie, ND. As a Smart Rural Community provider, we offer a variety of services, including multi-gig fiber Internet, digital TV, cellular & landline phone services, and self-monitored security cameras. We also provide broadband in Minnesota. Recently, we added customers outside of our Cooperative area, including the City of Wahpeton and Dwight and Rural Wahpeton communities. Our founding principles have always remained the same: enriching the lives of all those we serve by providing leading-edge technology and dependable local service.
Company also operates outside of North Dakota. These statistics are for North Dakota only.
RTC Networks
Since its establishment in 1951, RTC Networks has remained dedicated to its mission of providing cutting-edge telecommunication services to rural communities. As a cooperative serving over an 8,900 square mile area in western North Dakota, RTC Networks has become a cornerstone of connectivity in the region. Leveraging its resilient and redundant fiber-optic infrastructure, RTC Networks provides internet speeds of up to 10 Gig, exceeding the national benchmark for broadband performance. In addition to high-speed internet, RTC Networks offers services including phone, TV, surveillance cameras, and tailored business solutions, catering to the diverse needs of its community.
* Company also operates outside of North Dakota. These statistics are for North Dakota only.
SRT Communications
Since 1951, SRT has grown into North Dakota’s largest telecommunications cooperative, serving roughly 8,000 square miles and more than 24,000 customers across north-central North Dakota. We completed our rural fiber build and continue to work toward making Minot a fully fiberized city. Our network fuels complex critical infrastructure for a regional hospital, a university, intermodal service, state and local governments, financial institutions, and the U.S. Air Force.
United Communications
Celebrating 70 years of service in 2022, United Communications is proud to offer FTTH Internet service to 100% of our customers, including all customers of our wholly owned subsidiary, Turtle Mountain Communications. We began laying the groundwork for fiber-optic technology in the early 2000s and because of this investment, we are now able to offer speeds up to 10 Gbps.
West River Telecom
West River Telecom (WRT) provides a 100% fiber network to members across 23 exchanges in North Dakota and 2 exchanges in South Dakota. We currently offer symmetrical broadband Internet speeds up to 10 Gbps, as well as quality voice & security camera services. The local cooperative was formed in 1952 by a grassroots effort and has focused on giving back to its members and local communities ever since.
* Company also operates outside of North Dakota. These statistics are for North Dakota only.
The Broadband Association of North Dakota (BAND) is a non-profit trade association representing the interests of cooperatives and small commercial telecom companies in North Dakota. Together, BAND and our 16 member organizations are ensuring North Dakota remains the most connected state in the United States.
Carissa Swenson BAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR cswenson@broadbandnd.com linkedin.com/in/carissaswenson/ twitter.com/cariswen 701-663-1099
Carissa Swenson is the Executive Director of BAND. She leads the organization in its ongoing mission to represent the interests of North Dakota’s rural broadband and telecommunications carriers. She is passionate about telling the stories of how North Dakotans help lead the nation in high-speed Internet access. Carissa has spent most of her life living and working in rural America. She has a deep understanding and appreciation of the value of connectivity in rural communities. Contact her directly to learn more about the Broadband Association of North Dakota and its members.
