Paul Bunyan Communications Returning Over $3.2 Million to Members Member's Share in Cooperative's Success

(Bemidji, MN) (August 7, 2023) – Paul Bunyan Communications is returning over $3.2 million to its members in 2023, the cooperative announced today.

Paul Bunyan Communications is a not-for-profit company that strives to provide the highest quality service at the most affordable rates. As a cooperative, membership in Paul Bunyan Communications includes the opportunity to share in the financial success of the company. When profits are earned, they are allocated to the members based on their proportional share of the allocable revenues. These allocations may then be returned to the individual members through capital credit retirements.

For current members with a distribution amount of $100 or less, a credit has been applied to their August bill. Checks have been mailed out for distributions of more than $100.

"The state of our cooperative remains strong. We are the largest broadband cooperative in Minnesota with over 28,000 active members throughout our 6,000 square mile service territory. We have been very busy building and expanding one of the largest all-fiber optic rural Gigabit networks in the country, the GigaZone®, which is revolutionizing the way members live, work, and play. It is rewarding to see all those efforts continue to pay off and return these profits to our membership" said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO/General Manager.

"For over 70 years we have been providing the latest in technology at cost. There is no membership fee to join Paul Bunyan Communications and there are no annual membership dues. All you need to do is subscribe to either one line of local phone or Broadband Internet service and you become a member. You get the latest in technology backed up by our talented team of over 160 local employees that all live and work here" added Dave Schultz, Paul Bunyan Communications Chief Financial Officer.

"In a highly competitive industry with national competitors our cooperative has been successful because we put our region and our members first. We don't have to worry about customers all over the place like in Sioux Falls, Fargo, Minneapolis, or anywhere else. Our investments go here, back into our network, our services, and our communities in northern Minnesota." added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

If you were a member of the cooperative in 2003 and/or 2022 and accrued more than $10 in total capital credit allocations, but do not receive the credit on your account or a check by September 1, please contact Paul Bunyan Communications at (218) 444-1234 or (218) 999-1234.

About Paul Bunyan Communications

Paul Bunyan Communications has the region's largest all fiber optic network with over 6,000 square miles throughout most of Beltrami County and portions of Aitkin, Cass, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis Counties. The Cooperative provides Broadband High Speed Internet Services including the GigaZone™, digital and high-definition television services, digital voice services, Residential and Business IT services, and is also the home of northern Minnesota's certified Apple Service Center.