SEPTEMBER 2016 Helping organizations achieve greater value through the advancement of fiber optic telecommunications
CEO’S MESSAGE I’m writing this message just after DCN’s big announcement to offer statewide Wi-Fi services throughout North Dakota. At the State of Technology Conference, I spoke about how I’ve been blessed to work with the 15 rural independent telecommunications providers that have been committed in providing North Dakotan’s with fiber based broadband internet access across our great state. But the reality is internet accessibility has grown to be about more than just fiber and connectivity…it’s about true mobility. Industries across the world are realizing that mobility is now the fabric of everyone’s life. Mobile phones, tablets, and other devices that require bandwidth are increasingly becoming the main source of connectivity for people everywhere. We as consumers now want to access what we want, whenever we want, and now from even wherever we want to access it. DCN and its owners recognized this shift to mobility, and have worked to identify the best way to ensure our users’ mobile experience is just as positive as the experience they have when they are hard-wired to our fiber network. We will deliver a frictionless wireless solution that delivers a secure connection to our customers throughout the state.
SENATOR HEITKAMP, FCC COMMISSIONER ROSENWORCEL VISITS DCN On Friday, May 13, 2016, Heitkamp and Rosenworcel joined NTCA members and business leaders at DCN to discuss the importance of high-speed internet access throughout North Dakota. NTCA members included NDATC Executive Vice President, David Crothers; DCN Chief Executive Officer, Seth Arndorfer; Northwest Communications Cooperative Operations Manager, Dean Rustad; and Red River Communications General Manager/CEO, Jeffrey Olson. The meeting provided updates on broadband deployments and investments made throughout the state. Heitkamp and Rosenworcel were also informed of the obstacles rural carriers are facing, and how important the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service telecom and broadband loan programs are to North Dakota. Since a reliable Internet connection is becoming a basic necessity to a child’s education, part of the discussion focused on the critical importance of high-speed Internet throughout North Dakota. With high-speed Internet connections, students will have the opportunity to keep up with the ever-changing technology that is needed to access educational resources. Following the DCN tour provided by Seth Arndorfer, Heitkamp and Rosenworcel visited the Mandan Middle School to Skype with NASA Astronaut Karen Nyberg, the only graduate from the University of North Dakota that has gone into space.
Our track record for rolling out state-of-the-art technology solutions to our customers is second to none, and I expect our Wi-Fi rollout to be just as successful. I’m also very excited to announce that DCN’s 30,000 square-foot data center expansion is on schedule and will be completed before the end of 2016. We will be ready for customers to take advantage of our state-of-the-art data center. Seth Arndorfer, CEO
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS
(Photo courtesy of Heitkamp’s office) Pictured above from left to right: North Dakota State Director for U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, Ryan Taylor; U.S. Senator, Heidi Heitkamp; U.S. Federal Communications (FCC) Commissioner, Jessica Rosenworcel; and DCN’s CEO, Seth Arndorfer.