CTC

New CTC News Page

2012-02-14T13:37:00.001-08:00

CTC is now using a new CTC News Page. This page will no longer be updated. To follow our News please go to our website www.ConnectCTC.com and click on CTC News!

Thank you!

Capital Credit Allocation Statements

2011-10-25T06:22:00.001-07:00

CTC recently mailed out capital credit allocation statements. CTC is a cooperative and this statement notifies you each year of the dividends you have earned during your membership. When deemed financially possible, CTC’s board of directors vote on allocation of dividend funds. This is for your records only, and no further action is required by the customer. Thank you!

Will the FCC Stay Committed To Rural America?

2011-06-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

An interesting article that touches on how FCC actions could impact telecommunications in rural America.

ARTICLE

2011 Annual Meeting and Community Picnic

2011-05-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Join us for our 2011 Annual Meeting and Community Picnic on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at the Crow Wing County Fairgrounds. Our Annual Meeting for our members will begin at 11:00 followed by our Community Picnic from 12:00-1:30. Join us for food, music and fun!

2011 Mid MN Builders Show

2011-04-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

Visit our booth at the Mid MN Builders Show this weekend at the Brainerd Civic Center. Show hours are 12:00-8:00 Friday, 10:00-6:00 Saturday and 10:00-4:00 Sunday. Watch CTC HD TV on a 50" Sony HD TV from Tom's TV and experience our fiber optic High Speed Internet on a Apple iPad.

NCAA Action

2011-03-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

Catch all the NCAA Basketball action on CTCTV. Games will be available on Channel 49 Tru TV tonight. Games this weekend will also be available on CBS-Channel 4, TNT-Channel 26 and TBS-Channel 27. Check out the CBS website for a complete list of the games and the channels you can find them on.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/schedules

Board of Director Applications are Now Available

2011-02-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC) is accepting applications from members that are interested in joining the CTC Board of Directors for Director District 2- Freedhem, Nokay Lake, Sullivan Lake, and Pierz.

Interested individuals must meet the following qualifications:
• Be a member in good standing and subscribe to CTC telephone service.
• Reside within the Freedhem, Nokay Lake, Sullivan Lake or Pierz service territory.
• Have the skills, interest and time to devote to overseeing CTC business.
• Attend 12 monthly meetings, plus other industry assemblies and training.

Members of the CTC Board of Directors are responsible for representing the Cooperative membership and for developing strategies, policies and objectives for the Cooperative.

Those interested in becoming a candidate for District 2 should contact our office at 218-454-1120 for an application.

Applications must be received by March 2, 2011.

2011-01-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

2010 Scholarship Applications

2010 Scholarship applications are available at area school guidance offices, CTC offices or CTC website until the deadline of March 25th.

CTC awards eight $500 scholarships to area high school seniors who are planning to attend a two-year or four-year college, university or vocational technical school. To be eligible, a student’s family or legal guardian must be a year-round member in CTC’s service area.

There is an “At-Large” category for private schools and home-schooled students who are planning to attend a two-year or four-year college, university or vocational technical school. To be eligible, a student’s family or legal guardian must be a year-round member in CTC’s service area. At-Large applications can be obtained by calling (218) 454-1234 or (800) 753-9104 or stopping in at one of the CTC Offices.

Discovery Channel- Shark Week

2010-07-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

Shark Week starts August 1, 2010. Catch all the action on CTC TV Channel 65 or in HD on channel 565. Shark Week

2010-06-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who attended out Annual Meeting and Community Picnic. This year we discussed the feature fiber-optic build outs in our rural communities. We didn't have a Board of Directors Election this year but there was plenty to talk about and celebrate. Here's a video of some of the activites of this years event.

CTC Expands Services for CTCIT Division

2010-04-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Consolidated Telecommunication Company (CTC) has announced a partnership with 7Sigma Systems, Inc. The partnership is designed to allow CTC to offer a broader scope of Information Technology (IT) services including managed IT solutions, IT outsourcing, full service IT and systems development capabilities with their CTCIT division. CTCIT will continue to offer their base IT services but now will have the ability to help clients solve higher-level business challenges by offering a greater volume of end-to-end solutions. These solutions will be aimed at serving small and medium size businesses. CTCIT will begin offering this suite of services immediately to business customers. “This partnership gives businesses a very cost-effective solution to have their IT work managed so they can focus on their core business without being forced to be IT experts,” states Andy Rangen, COO of 7Sigma Systems. Cost effectiveness was a major driver in forming the enhanced partnership. “As businesses continue to evaluate value through efficiency, we had to look at ways to support our business clients by offering them a solution that fits that model,” says Kevin Larson, CEO/GM of CTC. Larson also states, “CTC will be able to offer support that is unparalleled by any other provider, and we’re partnering with a team that has a local presence and knows our service area.”

CTC Receives Loan to Construct Fiber Optic Network

2010-04-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

CTC is constructing a Fiber Optic network to our rural Cooperative members which will cover over 7,160 homes and 795 businesses. To learn more about this new Fiber Optic build out and information on Capital Credits please see the attached letter from CTC below.

Dear CTC Member:

The CTC Board of Directors would like to share some great news with you, the members! The USDA Rural Utilities Service has granted CTC a $49.5 million dollar loan to bring a new, stateof-the-art fiber optic network to its rural communities. This construction project will eventually connect over 7,900 member’s homes and businesses with over 1,500 miles of fiber optic cableover the next 5-7 years. When completed, this new fiber optic network will greatly improve the quality and type of services each member will be able to receive. It will also provide the additional capacity to offer enhanced Internet and TV services to meet the demands and needs of our members now and well into the future.

During the construction of this new fiber optic network, significant resources will be needed to complete this project. Your CTC Board of Directors has closely evaluated the required investment and has deemed it necessary to temporarily withhold capital credit payments during the construction period. This project is truly positioning CTC for decades to come, for the delivery of advanced Internet and telecom services to you, our members.

Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC) is organized as a cooperative, owned by its members. As a cooperative CTC does not earn profits; instead, any income over and above the cost of doing business during a given year is considered "margins”. At the end of the year these margins are allocated to each member of the cooperative based upon the amount of usage they had during that year. Each member's annual credit allocation is accumulated and totaled over the period of time that the member continues to receive service.

Margins are treated as capital contributed by the membership to the cooperative to help reduce the cost of borrowing money. CTC retains members' capital credits as equity as the Cooperative's lending institutions require a certain level of equity. CTC is current in retiring capital credits through 1992, with partials having been retired in 1993.

The good news is, this fiber optic construction project will continue to keep CTC on the leading edge in offering the services that you, our members want and need. Please feel free to contact usif you have any questions.

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,
Consolidated Telecommunications Company

Edward “Bud” Swecker
President

CTC Receives Loan to Construct Fiber Optic Network

2010-02-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 2009, CTC began implementing a project to construct a state-of-the-art fiber optic network throughout our rural communities. This project will greatly improve the quality and type of service each member will receive, and prepare households for the future in technology. The investment will deploy over 1,524 miles of fiber optic cable to rural Brainerd communities over the next 5-7 years.

News Release

Todd, Cass, Crow Wing and Morrison Counties to receive increased broadband access

(Washington, DC) –Over 7,160 homes and 795 businesses in Todd, Cass, Crow Wing, and Morrison counties will have access to broadband internet services as a result of a federal loan of $49.6 million. Today, members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation announced that the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development is providing the financing for the project, which was authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Consolidated Telecommunications Company (CTC) of Brainerd will install 1,524 miles of fiber optic cable to six communities over five years. Because of USDA Rural Development loans, rural companies are able to access affordable credit to build much-needed infrastructure in rural communities.

“The implementation of this fiber optic network to our rural Cooperative members will provide ultra fast high-speed broadband which is second to none. This new technology will provide the necessary bandwidth our members will benefit from now and in the future” said CTC CEO/General Manger Kevin Larson.

“Every American should have access to broadband internet service just as they have access to telephone service and electricity,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar. “I have heard first-hand from Minnesotans about the importance of having access to fast and affordable high-speed internet. These funds will help bring quality internet access to rural Minnesota.”

“Minnesota’s rural communities need to stay connected to the rest of the world in order to compete in today’s global economy,” said Senator Al Franken. “Strengthening rural broadband will create jobs, foster economic growth, and help keep young people in the communities they grew up in.”

“This is a good investment for rural Minnesota because it opens up new economic development opportunities and creates jobs,” said Congressman Jim Oberstar. “In the 19th and 20th centuries, railroads and highways helped our farms and forests send their goods to market. Today, broadband will help us send our ideas into the global marketplace.”

“This loan will finance essential infrastructure that most urban and suburban residents take for granted. Reliable, affordable broadband service is an essential,” said Congressman Collin Peterson. “Access to quality broadband service creates and preserves jobs while encouraging economic development, business innovation, education, and medical technology in areas where these priorities may otherwise go unmet.”

2010 Olympics

2010-01-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Watch all the Olympic Action!

CTC TV will have all the extended coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics. You can find Olympic action on CTC Channels:

11 NBC-KARE
25 USA
44 MSNBC
48 CNBC

In High Definition:
511 NBC KARE 11
514 Universal HD
525 USA HD

Sertoma Winter Wonderland is Back!

2009-11-19T07:11:00.000-08:00

Check out this years CTC display at the Sertoma Winter Wonderland at the Northland Arboretum. Winter Wonderland runs from Thanksgiving thru New Years Eve, Wednesday-Saturday from 6:00-9:00pm. It's a wonderful community event that CTC is proud to be a part of. For more information visit the Sertoma Winter Wonderland website. http://www.sertomawinterwonderland.com/

Haunted Trail at Northland Arboretum – October 24 & 25

2009-10-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

(Brainerd, Minnesota) The Northland Arboretum will host the 7th Annual Haunted Trail at the Northland Arboretum in Brainerd Saturday and Sunday, October 24 & 25 from 7 to 9 PM. Tickets are $3 per person and are available at the door; young children should be accompanied by an adult. Also, non-perishable food items are being collected both evenings to be donated to the local food shelf.

The Haunted Trail leads visitors through the dark woods on the winding trails of Northland Arboretum – LISTEN - do I hear a circus around the bend? Ghosts, spooks and creepy goblins haunt the entire trail. No flashlights are allowed. At the end of the trail visitors are invited to enjoy a bonfire and hot cider.

The Northland Arboretum is a non-profit 501(c)3 whose mission is to preserve, promote and celebrate our natural environment. For more information about the Haunted Trail and other events at the Northland Arboretum contact the Arb at 218-829-8770

Brett Favre, Vikings Smash All-Time Cable Record

2009-10-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

The Vikings Monday night game against the Packers was the most watched cable TV show in history, drawing 21.8 million viewers.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/cable-tv/e3i77c099eee89951eff4acefb3b4be738f

2009-10-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Recently Charles K. Kao won the Nobel Prize for his efforts in transmission of light in fiber optic communciations. Today CTC has constructed and continues construction of our fiber to the home network.

"for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication"

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2009/

Fiber Optics in Mission and Pillager

2009-09-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

CTC has began plowing fiber optic cable in our Mission and Pillager areas. With new fiber optic service our customers will be able to benefit by having faster Internet speeds and many new TV services.

More HD Channel Available with CTC TV

2009-09-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Over 1/3 of US households have an HD TV according to Leichtman Research Group. With the increased demand for HD content. CTC has recently added 9 new channels to their current lineup. The new channels include:

Lifetime Movies
USA
ESPN News
Golf
Versus
SyFy
ABC Family
Disney
Disney XD

Cellphones problematic for 911

2009-08-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Landline phones offer valuable information during emergencies. Here's a story from USA Today that touches on the value of a landline phone. Story