NOVEMBER 2022
CEO’S MESSAGE There is a lot going on in North Dakota! From BitZero’s announcement to repurpose the Nekoma nuclear missile site to the Grand Farms groundbreaking near Casselton, not to mention North Dakota is rolling out the nation’s first autonomous beyond visual line of site UAV (unmanned aviation vehicle) network to control drones! DCN is actively involved in all these projects in various ways, and I’m excited for our state’s future as a national technology leader. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to serve a second term on the FCC Precision Ag Task Force. The Task Force is chartered by Congress to provide advice and recommendations to the FCC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on how to assess and advance deployment of broadband internet service on unserved and underserved agricultural land and promote precision agriculture for both cropping and husbandry. It’s been humbling and inspiring to serve with so many thought leaders from the ag tech industry. I’ve been equally impressed with the ag producers that have participated in the Task Force’s strategy discussions. These producers are embracing technology and challenging broadband providers to enable every acre with secure, reliable, and affordable connectivity options so they can make real-time decisions to increase yields and overall profitability. North Dakota continues to lead the country in fiber deployment to every farm, home, and business in the state. At last check, just over 95 percent of residents have access to a fiber connection. The investment DCN’s Owner companies have made in fiber optic infrastructure has positioned our state to be continued on pg. 2
DCN & OWNERS CONTINUE TO EXPAND SERVICE AND HELP GROW NORTH DAKOTA Can you imagine your life today without internet? Not just at work, but at home too. A recent survey by international market research firm Parks Associates found that in the U.S., internet households own an average of 16 connected devices, up from 13 in 2021. Have you counted the number of connected devices in your household? There are computers, wireless printers, and cell phones for work; and the family enjoys smart TVs and watches, gaming console, and a security system. And the list goes on. Like it or not, connectivity has become essential for work, home, and school – a.k.a. daily life. In North Dakota, we tend to take our connectivity for granted. After all, according to North Dakota Information Technology, 95.4 percent of residents have access to broadband that is 100MB or greater. How is it that is a state with fewer than 10 residents per square mile is so well connected? It’s largely thanks to the Owners of DCN, North Dakota’s 13 independent broadband companies. As the internet was emerging in the 1990s, these companies saw that their futures were going to include much more than telephone service, and they formed DCN to connect businesses across the state and beyond. While some are touting they’re in the process of upgrading to fiber, DCN and its Owners already have 65,000 miles of fiber serving customers. What does that mean? Placed end-to-end, our fiber would go around the earth 2.6 times. More importantly, all those miles are reaching North Dakota homes and businesses in 379 communities – from Grenora to Fairmount, Marmarth to Pembina – with gigabit speed to literally every corner of the state. And we continue to invest around $100 million a year in that fiber infrastructure. This fiber optic network map illustrates the vast reach of DCN and its Owners. For a closer look, visit dakotacarrier.com/ dcn-interactive-fiber-map/.
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CEO’S MESSAGE, con’t from page 1
DCN TEAM EARNS CPSP CERTIFICATION
a national leader in the deployment of precision ag technologies.
Six DCN team members have earned the Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP) designation, awarded through the National Association of Sales Professionals. Recipients are: • Mark Aslakson, wholesale sales manager
Because agriculture continues to drive North Dakota’s economy, DCN is actively involved in the Grand Farm. The Grand Farm Education and Research Initiative, powered by Emerging Prairie, capitalizes on the region’s potential and expertise in the agriculture and technology industries. The Grand Farm Initiative will accelerate the research and innovation into technology that will be on the farm of the future, impacting North Dakota, the United States, and the world by solving challenges in agriculture and developing new opportunities. DCN has been working with several tech innovators to test and deploy precision ag technologies that rely heavily on connectivity for their business solutions to work effectively. Innovators in other market segments are also recognizing North Dakota as an optimal location to move their business operations. In the past months, several cryptocurrency data center operators have announced major investments that will be made in our state. These data centers could not operate without reliable, affordable connectivity. All these projects are exciting and will enhance North Dakota’s economic position. However, DCN recognizes that the more critical applications we run on our network, the more critical it is our network is secure. We take that very seriously and I want to assure you we are doing everything possible to keep your data secure while helping to grow North Dakota. Seth Arndorfer, CEO
• Todd Domres, manager of Owners and government relations • Jennifer Guthmiller, commercial sales manager • Valerie Schwantes, account executive • Troy Walker, director of sales and marketing • Craig Walz, account executive The CPSP teaches participants the cycle a client or prospect goes through in the purchase process and teaches how to identify a client’s preferred style of communication and how to speak to that. The program focuses on skills such as improving communication one-on-one, in groups, and in meetings; helping guide prospects through the process; and effectively utilizing customer-centric communication. To earn the certification, each person had to complete modules for 45 consecutive days and pass a written exam. “The goal of this training was to hone skills that make our team even better partners for DCN’s customers,” said Seth Arndorfer, DCN CEO. “One of our core values is long-term relationships and the skills learned in this certification will help to grow and strengthen partnerships.”
HELPING GROW NORTH DAKOTA, con’t from page 1 DCN is proud to partner with customers and our Owners to help North Dakota thrive. This fiber infrastructure has helped your business prosper and has brought new businesses to our state. But we are also proud of the fact that, combined, we have more than 1,000 employees and infuse the economy with more than $90 million a year in payroll spending. DCN also has trusted partners outside of North Dakota that assist when your business needs to be connected beyond the state borders. As the map shows, we have direct connections to Seattle, Denver, Omaha, Minneapolis, and Chicago that can take your business anywhere in the country or the world. We’re investing in North Dakota because we are invested in North Dakota. We live here and work here, and making it a better place for everyone is part of our DNA thanks to our cooperative roots.
SUBRAMANIAN EARNS RIGOROUS CISSP Aparna Subramanian, information systems manager at DCN, has earned the prestigious CISSP certification. The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is one of the most globally recognized certifications in cybersecurity. CISSP validates a cybersecurity professional’s deep technical and managerial knowledge and experience to effectively design, engineer, and manage an organization’s overall security posture. Created by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), earning this vendor-neutral, accredited certification requires both practical knowledge and professional experience. The extensive exam covers the areas of access control systems and methodology, business continuity planning and disaster recovery planning, physical security, operations, security, management practices, telecommunications, and networking security. Other areas important to the CISSP certification are cryptography, security architecture application and systems development, law, investigation, and ethics. In addition, following successful completion of the exam, individuals must subscribe to the consortium’s Code of Ethics and have an endorsement from another ISC2 professional who can verify their professional experience. “This certification is rigorous,” says Seth Arndorfer, DCN CEO. “The coursework is extremely challenging and the required endorsement by another member adds a layer of integrity to the process. This demonstrates Aparna’s hands-on cybersecurity experience and can give DCN customers additional assurance that when they partner with DCN their data is secure.”
BAND NAMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Broadband Association of North Dakota (BAND) has appointed Carissa Swenson as the organization’s executive director. In this role, Swenson leads BAND in its mission to represent the interests of the rural broadband and telecommunications carriers across the state. Swenson previously worked as a consultant in the broadband industry and served on the board of Consolidated Telcom in Dickinson, N.D., an Owner company of DCN. She lives in Bismarck and is a graduate of Dickinson State University. She also earned a Master of Science in Instructional Technology from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Swenson succeeds David Crothers, who served as BAND’s executive director from 1988 until his death in April 2022. BAND has represented the interests of rural voice, video, and broadband service providers in North Dakota since 1953.
DCN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER RETIRING This year, December 31 will not only mark the end of the year, but the end of an era at DCN. That will officially be the last day for DCN’s first chief financial officer, Jim Laske. Jim joined DCN on September 10, 2001, and has served as CFO for the past 21 years. In addition to overseeing the finances for the company, he has provided leadership and direction in business planning, budgeting, and forecasting, and he set and managed implementation of accounting and financial policies. Besides the financial-related responsibilities you would expect a CFO to have, Jim has also served as DCN’s security officer, chairing the Security Committee and overseeing the planning and implementation of security audits. “Jim has always worked hard to exemplify DCN’s core values of reliability, responsibility, and valuing long-term relationships,” said Seth Arndorfer, CEO. “We appreciate everything that Jim has done for DCN, our Owners, and customers, and wish him all the best in retirement.” So what does retirement hold for Jim? The team likes to tease him that he could work at Jersey Mike’s or any other sub shop because he knows the lunch menus so well. But he’s afraid they’d want to give him too much responsibility and that's not what retirement is all about. We do know, however, that Bison football games, motorcycle trips, and NASCAR races are somewhere in his plans.
Corner to corner connectivity
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TWO JOIN DCN'S IS TEAM
2022 LANDMARK ANNIVERSARIES
Carson Neiss and Adeline Norgaard have joined the DCN Information Systems team.
In 2022, DCN celebrated five landmark anniversaries:
Neiss is a software developer. He designs, codes, and maintains DCN’s support applications and programs. In addition, he works with users to ensure proper program operation and function, tests code, and provides user training. A Bismarck native, Neiss earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in statistics from North Dakota State University. Norgaard is information systems intern. A sophomore at the University of Mary in Bismarck, she is majoring in computer information systems. She works in a variety of areas including cloud services, application development, and information security. Norgaard is from Tioga, N.D.
CO-LOCATE FOR FREE* AT nds Offer e 12/30!
• Kelly Markert, sales support representative, 5 years • Lisa Fisher, sales support representative, 5 years • Sheldon Dacar, Ethernet/IP technician I, 5 years • Sandy Dallmann, accountant I, 10 years • Seth Arndorfer, CEO, 20 years
Each of these team members strives every day to live out DCN's values of reliability, responsiveness, and valuing long-term relationships. Having consistency in the team benefits everyone, including customers. They know you, they know your business, and they have the background needed to provide the highest level of customer service. Thank you Kelly, Lisa, Sheldon, Sandy, and Seth – your hard work and commitment are appreciated!
“During the transition to DCN’s facilities, our Members saw absolutely no down time. We are very pleased to have such a safe, secure, and protected place for
Contact us today to learn more or schedule a facility tour. 800-814-3333 | dakotacarrier.com * Contract for at least 36 months and get 1 month free. Includes cabinet, power, and port, up to $1,000 value. Offer valid through 12/30/22.
our Members’ valuable data, and are grateful to have a partner we can count on.”
– Dan Wilbanks President/CEO, NISC
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