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Topic: Member Companies

  1. Santel bringing high-speed internet to rural Yankton, Vermillion
    About 900 locations are set to receive fiber internet coverage in the rural Yankton and Vermillion areas thanks to Santel Communications and a grant from ConnectSD.
  2. Fiber internet allows remote worker to pursue dream of farming
    He’s a contract engineer who dreamed of a dual role helping run his family farm. Santel Communications' fiber internet helped it became possible.
  3. High-speed connectivity gives rural pumpkin patch a boost
    Fun and fall came with frustrations at the Big Stone Pumpkin Patch near Milbank as unreliable internet meant for delayed transactions. That all changed when ITC installed fiber to the business and home as part of ConnectSD grants.
  4. SDN anthem video taps into light to showcase potential of network
    SDN Communications partnered with Fresh Produce to tell its story — its anthem — by traveling across the state and finding the light that powers the network.
  5. Sign language interpreter finds freedom to work in small town thanks to world-class internet
    “Chamberlain has fiber network. I couldn’t even get fiber in Austin, Texas, where we lived before.” The reliable internet of SDN Communications member company Midstate Communications allows Ezra Moore to work remotely as a sign language interpreter.
  6. SDN member companies make a difference through ICAN campaign
    ICAN offers SDN Communications member companies a chance to promote local charities and events through its "I CAN Make a Difference" campaign.
  7. How member company grants will expand fiber internet to rural areas
    Areas in southeast South Dakota, the Black Hills and rural Stanley County are some of the latest beneficiaries of funding that will be used to improve fiber connectivity to underserved areas in the state.
  8. SDN Communications Board of Managers elects executive team, new member
    The SDN Communications Board of Managers elected its leadership and added a new member at a pair of recent meetings.
  9. New Venture Communications CEO has a love of leadership and a passion for rodeo
    Fay Jandreau was drawn to the telecommunications industry because of the technology. But when he's not working for Venture Communications as the new CEO, you might find him at the rodeo.
  10. Venture general manager, a true leader, retires
    When Randy Houdek retired as CEO and general manager of Venture Communications Cooperative at the end of November - after 33 years with the company - the state lost a respected leader with deep influence in the telecommunications industry.
  11. Keeping healthcare accessible in rural South Dakota
    Horizon Health Care operates 32 clinics in 22 communities across South Dakota, providing crucial healthcare to rural residents. SDN Communications and its members want to make sure Horizon can continue this important work.
  12. Former long-time SDN Board President Bryan Roth loses fight with cancer
    Long-time SDN Board President Bryan Roth died on Labor Day after battling cancer for years. As the general manager of TrioTel Communications in Salem, he served on the SDN board for 19 years and helped shepherd the company’s remarkable growth.
  13. SDN mourns loss of board member Rod Bowar of Kennebec
    SDN Communications and its Member Companies mourn the loss of long-time board member Rod Bowar, owner of Kennebec Telephone Company.
  14. Internet is coming to Sioux Falls’ neighboring communities
    Alliance was awarded a little more than $6 million to expand its broadband fiber network farther into the southern Canton area. The expansion will bring consistent, high-speed internet services to the Larsons for the first time since they bought their acreage 10 years ago.
  15. SDN Communications' membership elects three new industry leaders
    SDN Communications’ member/owners elected board leadership, including three new leaders to the board of managers.
  16. Heather Kranz leads TrioTel’s 100% fiber network into the future
    As a staff member at TrioTel Communications, Heather Kranz saw major transformations over the past 21 years, from digital television options to fiber. The challenges of adapting to ongoing change are what keep Kranz engaged in the industry, especially in her new role as CEO/General Manager of TrioTel Communications, Inc.
  17. Former SDN CEO, board president bonded over advancing broadband, living with cancer
    Starting 23 years ago, two young men working to advance South Dakota broadband services met for breakfast before every SDN Communications board meeting. Newly hired SDN CEO Mark Shlanta and newly elected SDN Board President Bryan Roth found value in the face-to-face meetings to drive success for the young company.
  18. Rural telecommunication companies future-proof SD
    The independent broadband companies of South Dakota have made huge strides in delivering fiber internet services across the state. In fact, 93% of South Dakota homes, businesses and farms served by rural telecommunication companies are connected by high-speed fiber,
  19. People are at the center of our 'Top 2021 Articles'
    When it comes down to it, people want to read about other people and how technology affects those people. So, it should be no surprise to learn that SDN Communications' top blog article of 2021 was about two people in the company.
  20. A partnership connecting kids to education
    When the pandemic forced schools to switch to virtual learning in 2020, Crow Creek Tribal School was no exception. But for many of the students there, virtual learning was impossible because they did not have access to the internet.