RTC Networks: Summer 2021 Newsletter

PAGE 6

OUT WITH THE OLD. IN WITH THE NEW.

AN INSIDE LOOK AT RTC NETWORKS’ NEW LOOK & NAME PAGE 3

NEW TOWN HIGH SCHOOL WITH 10 GIG INTERNET FROM RTC NETWORKS, NEW TOWN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IS TRANSFORMING THE WAY THAT STUDENTS LEARN.

PAGE 10

RTC NETWORKS HAPPENINGS NEW POSITIONS AND PROMOTIONS, SERVICE AWARDS AND UPCOMING EVENTS!

SUMMER 2021

“

RTC NETWORKS IS MORE PREPARED THAN EVER TO PROVIDE OUR COMMUNITIES WITH CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

A MESSAGE FROM OUR

GENERAL MANAGER technologies and the same high-quality service that you, our members, have come to expect. You can read more about the meaning behind our new name and look on page 6. Also in this issue of The Communicator you can learn how New Town Public School District is transforming the way that students learn with 10 Gig internet (page 4), discover the difference between broadband and wi-fi (page 8),

RTC NETWORKS COMMUNICATOR 24 Main Street North, PO Box 68, Parshall, ND 58770 www.RTC.coop, RTC@restel.com www.facebook.com/RTC.coop Customer Service: 0811 (within RTC

You may have noticed some changes around here lately.

and catch up on announcements and upcoming events from our cooperative (page 10).

Reservation Telephone Cooperative is now RTC Networks. As we celebrate our 70th year as a cooperative and usher in a new era of innovation, it

Finally, I am excited to announce that our Annual Meeting will be held in-person this year! Please join us on September 9th at the 4 Bears Event

exchanges) or 701.862.3115 Repair Service: 0611 (within RTC exchanges) or 800.822.3311 24/7 Help Desk: 0211 (within RTC exchanges) or 800.497.2151 Headquarters: 24 Main St N Parshall, ND 58770 New Town Office: 202 College Drive New Town, ND 58763 Watford City Office: 701 14th St SW Watford City, ND 58854

Business Office: 0811 (Toll-free within RTC Exchanges) 701.862.3115 Fax: 701.862.3008 Email: rtc@restel.com

Publication Contact: Shannon Stafslien, Marketing Manager

CEO/General Manager: Shane D. Hart

RTC Networks is more prepared than ever to provide our communities with cutting-edge technologies.

Directors & Officers: Jeanette Hoff, President Jared Eagle, Vice President Jennifer Sorenson, Secretary/Treasurer Wayne Skarda, Director Terry Wilber, Director Amy Ones, Director Barbara Steinmetz, Director Tim Krebsbach, Director Alicia Brenna, Attorney RTC Networks is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

Copyright© 2021 by RTC Networks (Reservation Telephone Cooperative Networks) and Tellwell.

2

seemed like the perfect time to take on a name that reflects who we are and where we are going while still honoring where we have been.

This new brand is the product of many months of collaboration and discussion about our past, present, and future goals, and we are proud to finally share it with you. With this change, I believe that RTC Networks is more prepared than ever to provide our communities with cutting-edge

Center in New Town. This meeting will be an opportunity to reflect on the successes and lessons of the past year, discuss our goals and vision for 2022, and simply catch up after so many months apart.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Shane Hart Shane Hart, CEO

RTC BUSINESS

SPOTLIGHT

ELIMINATING BARRIERS, REDEFINING EDUCATION

With 10 Gig internet from RTC Networks, New Town Public School District is transforming the way that students learn.

Students in New Town, North Dakota, will soon be able to embark on oncein-a-lifetime adventures—witnessing the legendary artworks of the Louvre, climbing the steps of the Great Wall of China, diving beneath the ocean’s surface to explore the Great Barrier Reef—without ever leaving their classroom.

It isn’t teleportation. These excursions will take place in the district’s new state-of-the-art virtual reality lab, where students can don futuristic VR headsets and be instantly transported thousands of miles away. Rather than simply reading about a museum, monument, or natural wonder in a textbook, students can immerse themselves in these new worlds—improving interest, understanding, and recall.

Virtual field trips are a revolutionary and relatively affordable way to engage students in their schoolwork, and they are just one way that New Town teachers

will use new 10 Gig internet from RTC Networks to eliminate barriers and redefine education.

“Going forward, the possibilities are endless,” said district Technology Coordinator Ian Ellsworth. “We’re going to have 21 VR headsets. So I could have 21 children sitting there being taken through museums and having a live person at the other end, discussing everything with them. And 10 Gig will make that possible.”

A “Logistical and Technical Nightmare” New Town Public Schools is a district of just 950 students, located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in western North Dakota. And this fall, they will become the first district in the state and among the first in the nation with access to 10 Gig internet.

The need for high-speed internet district-wide came into stark relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like districts across the country, New Town transitioned to distance learning in March 2020 to prevent the spread 3

of the virus. And like every other district, New Town faced challenges along the way.

school day. The program will be piloted in the middle school this year, and if successful, extend to the high school and elementary school in the coming years.

In districts across the country, equipping students with their own computers has been shown to increase student participation and collaboration, empower students to take control of their own learning, and prepare them for the future beyond the classroom.

New Town Public Schools is taking the program one step further to ensure that both students and staff are able to make the most of their revolutionary new speeds.

“To start with, we had the teachers in the school building, and only having a one gig connection into the building and everybody being online at the same time brought our bandwidth down greatly,” Ellsworth said. “It was a logistical and technical nightmare.”

So when RTC Networks announced the launch of 10 Gig service in 2021, Ellsworth immediately approached Superintendent Beth Zietz.

“The ‘Plus’ is really important because it includes teacher training and making sure that our staff are truly prepared to use the internet in a powerful way,” Zietz said. “We’re implementing a technology coach, so our teachers who maybe are still getting their internet feet underneath them have someone to go to and to support and to coach them with questions.”

10 Gig will help eliminate barriers to learning by allowing New Town teachers to place technology in the hands of every student.

“I told her, ‘We don’t know how long this at-home learning is going to last.

We need to build our infrastructure up, and RTC Networks is offering 10 Gig. And I think it’s something we should do,’” Ellsworth said.

She was quickly convinced. For Zietz, bringing 10 Gig to New Town is about more than offering the latestand-greatest in classroom technology. It is about ensuring that all of their students have access to the same learning opportunities.

Redefining Education 10 Gig will help eliminate barriers to learning by allowing New Town teachers to place technology in the hands of every student. Beginning this fall, New Town Public Schools will implement a “One-to-One Plus” computing program, in which every student will be assigned a MacBook Air to use throughout the 4

This training will allow teachers to incorporate the SAMR model, which lays out four tiers of online learning: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. At the Substitution tier, students can utilize some of the most basic forms of classroom technology, like writing a paper in a Word document rather than with a pen and paper. By the fourth tier, Redefinition, learning is transformed by activities that were previously thought impossible in the classroom.

“Our students are so different than what they were 20 years ago. Their minds are actually wired differently as they’ve grown up in the digital age,” Zietz said. “Many of them are already past the Substitution stage. That isn’t new to them. They want to

dig in, they want to create, they want to share with the world the things that they’re doing. And having 10 Gig coming into our school is going to provide that next step for our students.”

Virtual field trips are just the beginning. At the Redefinition level, students can also share their ideas by publishing papers online or gain global perspectives by video chatting with students on the other side of the world.

“They can literally, in 30 seconds, be online with a student in Africa discussing the Serengeti,” Ellsworth said. “With the current bandwidth that we have, that would not be possible. But with RTC Networks supplying 10 Gig, literally for the children, the world is going to be their oyster.”

10 Gig will make it possible for New Town students and teachers to access classroom technologies like these all at the same time, without disruptions to their connection. Even more importantly, it will allow the district to address the needs of the whole child, including mental health services—another need that came to the forefront amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s hard to learn if there’s a lot of other things going on in your life that are running through your brain,” Zietz said. “In New Town, North Dakota, our nearest mental health services are at least an hour away if not further. And so having this high-speed internet will also allow us to provide additional virtual services for our

students, so that they can see licensed professionals to assist them with mental health issues.”

Preparing for the Future For New Town Public Schools, bringing 10 Gig to their students isn’t just about meeting the needs of today; it’s about anticipating the needs of the future.

“New Town has always been a progressive district and we want to be prepared for the future,” Zietz said. “When everyone else is clamoring for 10 Gig, we will already have it. And we will be using it to really increase student learning and student engagement.”

New classroom technologies will continue to emerge, and someday—as much as Beth and Ian hate to admit it—another emergency may force schools into lockdown. No matter what happens, with 10 Gig from RTC Networks, New Town Public Schools will be ready.

“It absolutely makes us really proud that we’re going to be the first people to do this. We’re a small town showing the big schools how it should be done. And we could not do that without RTC Networks,” Ellsworth said. “RTC Networks is not just our suppliers, they’re our partners in this. And without them, there is no way that we could move forward.”

With 10 Gig, the possibilities are endless. Learn more and sign up today at rtc.coop/internet to transform the way you live, work, and learn.

5

TECH TIPS BROADBAND VS. WI-FI Wi-Fi, broadband, cyberspace, the World Wide Web…

With that in mind, let’s talk about

device. Today’s smartphones, tablets,

broadband. Broadband is your home

and most laptops don’t have a port to

Internet, which happens through a

connect to an Ethernet cable. Instead,

wired connection. So if we think of the

they use radio signals to send and

We hear these words tossed around

Internet as billions of little destinations,

receive invisible data through the air

broadband is the tunnel we move

between your device and your router.

every day, and while they are often used in reference to the same thing— the Internet—the technology they describe is actually pretty different.

Today, we are going to walk you through the differences between Wi-Fi and Broadband. If you are more of a

broadband “tunnels” were constructed

When data reaches your router, it flows

of copper wire, but nowadays, we use

back down the wires to your front door

faster, more durable fiber-optic cable.

and out to the fiber cabinet and then through the cables and across the vast

Information travels around the globe

Internet network.

on millions of miles of fiber cable, eventually meeting a fiber cabinet on

They say that “knowledge is power”,

your street corner, which is connected

and now that you know the difference

Riley. Let’s get started!

via fibers straight to the modem in

between broadband and WiFi, you have

Breaking Down Broadband

your home, which is connected to

the power to make better use of your

your router. You connect an Ethernet

Internet.

visual learner, watch our latest Tech Tip video to follow along with tech expert

Let’s start with the basic definition of the Internet. To put it simply, the Internet is a massive global network of computers and machines that are constantly talking to each other. When these computers and machines communicate, we are able to look up information, chat with our friends, and even work and attend school remotely.

8

through to reach them. In the past,

cable between your router and your computer, and ta-da! You have a stable,

That’s it for this edition of Tech Tips! Visit

high-speed Internet connection.

rtc.coop/techtips for this and other tips to make your technology work for you.

What’s Up With Wi-Fi? If broadband is a tunnel, then think of Wi-Fi as an airplane carrying your information from the router to your

Learn more at rtc.coop

OFFICIAL NOTICE OF MEETING RTC Networks’ 70th Annual Meeting is Thursday, September 9, 2021 at the 4 Bears Event Center in New Town.

Registration and meal starts at 5:00. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Business to be conducted at this meeting will include electing board members and reporting on the previous fiscal year. The candidates are: Jared Eagle for District 2A (Mandaree, New Town, Ross), John McElwain and Josh Reinisch for District 5 (Douglas, Makoti, Max, Roseglen, Ryder) Members can participate in the election by voting online, by mail, or in-person at the meeting. All members will receive a ballot packet in the mail. Mail-in ballots must be received by September 7.

For more information visit our website at rtc.coop/annualmeeting2021.

SAVE THE DATE

2021 ANNUAL MEETING September 9th 4 Bears Event Center in New Town

DIRECTOR CANDIDATES

Jared Eagle

John McElwain

Josh Reinisch

Mandaree, New Town, Ross

Douglas, Makoti, Max, Roseglen, Ryder

Douglas, Makoti, Max, Roseglen, Ryder

Jared Eagle has lived in New Town his entire life. He is the son of Ronnie and Kim Eagle.

Jared has worked for the Indian Health Service and the Three Affiliated Tribes health system for 15 years. He currently serves as the MHA Nation Health Administrator. Jared has been on the RTC Board of Directors since 2015.

John McElwain was born and raised in Max. After graduating from Max Public High School, he attended college before returning home to join his father, Jim McElwain, to work on the family farm and McElwain Construction Inc. In 1987, John married Tammy, and they raised their two children, Nicole and Justin.

For eight years, he worked as the Max City Maintenance Operator. In 2001, with the passing of his father, John took over the operation of the family farm and McElwain Construction Inc., which does excavation work throughout North Dakota. John has served on the Max Civic Club, and the Immaculate Conception Church Board. He is currently serving on the Max Farmers Elevator Board (2000 to present) and the Max Fire Department (1987 to present). He enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with family and friends at the lake.

Josh was raised in Ryder, ND and graduated from North Shore High School in Makoti with the Class of 2007. He then attended Bismarck State College and graduated with a Degree in Welding. After college, Josh has worked in the Oil Field for the past 14 years with BOS Roustabout which is a family business and he also farms with his Dad. Josh is active with the Ryder-Makoti Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, Makoti Threshers Association and the local Snowmobile Club the Sakakawea Fence Stretchers from Garrison.

He was a Ryder City Council member until moving to his Grandparents farm south of Ryder. Josh enjoys traveling to the Mountains to snowmobile in the winter, pontooning on Lake Sakakawea in the summer, and hunting deer in the fall.

District 2A Candidate

A graduate of North Dakota State University, Jared is active in the community. He served on the New Town Volunteer Fire Department for seven years and the North Dakota Comprehensive Cancer Advisory Board for seven years. He also served for nine years on the Edgewater Country Club Board. He and his wife Candice Eagle, who works for the Bank of ND have one daughter named Ellery.

District 5 Candidate

District 5 Candidate

9

RTC NETWORKS NEW RTC NETWORKS PHONE LISTINGS

HAPPENINGS

Employee Changes, Promotions

Alexander - 828 Hometown Hair Salon.............(701)828-3333 Emmet - 337 Hwy 83 Lawn and Leisure......(701)337-2500

Hwy 83 Lawn and Leisure - Fax.....(701)337-2535

Kenmare - 385 Compass Health Inc............... (701)385-3020 Compass Health Inc - Fax......(701)385-3033 Mandaree - 759

Mandaree Emergency Services.....(701)759-3492 Mandaree Emergency Services - Fax.................... ................................................................ (701)759-3497

McKenzie, S................................(701)759-3777 MHA Department of Transportation............... ......................................................(701)759-3353 Ott, Jason....................................(701)759-3180 West Segment Energy - Fax.. (701)759-3444 West Segment Shop................(701)759-3058 West Segment Shop - Fax.....(701)759-3063 White Eagle, H...........................(701)759-3430

Will Thelen

Combination Tech Lead

Otto Kinn

Data Network Tech II

Brock Lynne

Accounting Specialist III

Employee Changes, New Positions

Max - 679 The Red Light Bar........................(701)679-2111 New Town - 627 Church of God - New Town...(701)627-2873 Jackson, Jackie .......................(701)627-3432 Lone Bear, Roberta ..................(701)627-3331 MHA Interpretive Center........(701)627-2238 Norma - 467 Langager, James .......................(701)467-3611 Parshall - 862 Crossroads By Daye............... (701)862-3293 Yellow Bird, Pemina..................(701)862-4461 Roseglen - 743 TAT - WS Head Start................ (701)743-4078 Ross - 755 Farhart, Nancy........................... (701)755-3778 Squaw Gap - 565 Pippert, Bronc.......................... (701)565-2298

Wes Mincer Utility Tech

Data Network Tech I

2020 SERVICE AWARDS 1 YEAR Wes Mincer Utility Tech

Cody Allard

Watford City - 444 All Around Feed And Supply.... (701)444-2222 Almquist, Greg......................... (701)444-2090 Cantelow, David & Katie ........(701)444-3202 Earl, James & Rachel...............(701)444-2769 Elle’s Botique..................................(701)444-2252 Gulley, Dave & Lori....................(701)444-2195 Kellogg, D....................................(701)444-5163 Meg-A-Latte Coffee House....(701)444-3505 U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer...(701)444-2333

Utility Tech

Watford City - 842 Norby, Shirley..................................(701)842-6212 Silver Fox Pipeline and Facility Services Inc..... .............................................................. (701)842-3118 Summit Silver Creek LLC - Line 3.(701)842-6461 Summit Silver Creek LLC....... (701)842-6490 Summit Silver Creek LLC - Line 2...(701)842-6491 Trade Ready.................................(701)842-3118 Wastewater Treatment............(701)842-6677

Haley Nolby, CSR II

Samantha Kienholz Purchasing Agent

10 YEARS Gena Blunck

CSR II - Provisioning Coordinator

Jerry Brien Utility Tech

20 YEARS Karen Huber CSR II

Lisa Schenfisch Customer Service Manager

Jon Lee

Chief Financial Officer

Scot Ness

5 YEARS Greg Korgel

Combination Tech

Joy Ruud

Purchasing Agent Coordinator

Technology Specialist

Diana Pokrzywinski Account Executive

Andrew Steele Utility Tech

Eric Thompson

Combination Tech

Justine Vedaa

10

Alex Quale

Right of Way Specialist

Statement of Non-Discrimation

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office ofAdjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.

10 GIG IS NOW AVAILABLE THE FASTEST INTERNET SPEED IN THE NATION!

To celebrate this milestone, we’ve lowered the price on our 1 Gig residential speed to $125/month.

Also, our 1 Gig now includes our Total Experience Wi-Fi package which guarantees great coverage throughout your home and comes with all the enhanced myRTCnet app features for FREE!

Visit RTC.coop/wifi to get connected.

Sept 6 Labor Day

RTC Networks Closed

Sept 7

Sept 9

Return to Normal Business Hours 8:00am-4:30pm

October

Annual Meeting In person

@ 4 Bears Event Center in New Town

Lifelinesupport.org

Find out if you qualify and how to participate. Visit: GetEmergencyBroadband.org

Coop Month

Watch our Facebook page for giveaways!

AFFORDABLE SERVICE. NO MATTER THE SITUATION. Lifeline is an assistance program that can help eligible people afford telephone and broadband Internet service. Tribal Lifeline & Tribal Link Up programs for tribal areas help eligible people on tribal lands afford telephone and broadband Internet service.

11

24 Main Street North, PO Box 68, Parshall, ND 58770 www.RTC.coop, RTC@restel.com www.facebook.com/RTC.coop Customer Service: 0811 (within RTC exchanges) or 701.862.3115 Repair Service: 0611 (within RTC exchanges) or 800.822.3311 24/7 Help Desk: 0211 (within RTC exchanges) or 800.497.2151 Headquarters: 24 Main St N • Parshall, ND 58770 New Town Office: 202 College Drive • New Town, ND 58763 Watford City Office: 701 14th St SW • Watford City, ND 58854

myRTCnet is included with your Whole Home Wi-Fi package. It gives you an instant snapshot of your home or small business network.

Through the app you can view all the connected devices on your network, set up parental controls or a guest network, run speed tests, change your SSID and password, and more.

All enhanced ProtectIQ and ExperienceIQ features are included FREE for 1 Gig speed customers (available for $7/month for 100x100 & 500x500 speed customers). myRTCnet puts you in charge!

Visit www.rtc.coop/wifi to get a download link, quick start guide, and more!

READERS

Contest

Lucille Broderson

Bernice Sprenger

Mary Carlson

Joyce Waldock

Watford City Exchange

Congratulations to these Spring 2021 Communicator Readers’ Contest winners.

They will receive at $20 credit on their RTC Networks bill.

Kenmare Exchange

Roseglen Exchange Parshall Exchange

Karen Pennington New Town Exchange

NAME

PHONE

1. What is one of the main reasons New Town High School chose to bring in 10 Gig? For your chance to be entered in the drawing to win a $20 credit on your bill, correctly answer the questions at the right and include with your RTC bill. You can also submit your answers on our website at RTC.coop/readerscontest or email your answers to RTCteam@restel.com.

2. When and where is our annual meeting held this year?

3. What does RTC Networks’ new logo represent?