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Topic: Business Internet

Telehealth effectively helps fight virus, but legal work remains

When COVID-19 started hitting Avera Health’s regional market area, the Sioux Falls-based system set up a hotline to handle all the inquiries that began flooding in. Soon, virtual care was in high demand.
Not all internet is created equal

If you plan to compare internet options available in your market, that’s great. Times change. So do company offerings and your needs. Just keep in mind that there are variables to consider that go beyond the package price including the overall quality of service and longer-term costs.
Good connectivity is more important than ever for schools

Good, reliable, electronic communication systems will be more important than ever during the 2020-21 school year. That’s largely because of COVID-19. However, the use of technology in schools was increasing steadily even before the pandemic.
Technicians keep networks running smoothly, even during pandemic

Two groups of behind-the-scenes employees at SDN have helped keep regional commerce flowing during the COVID-19 pandemic by maintaining a smooth flow of electronic information within and across the region.
Jury still out, but strong case can be made for working at home

For some researchers, the quick shift of massive numbers of American workers to home environments has been viewed as an experiment on the future of remote work.
Grants will help improve connectivity in rural Davison County

Ryan Thompson, the general manager and CEO of Santel, was pleasantly surprised – and greatly appreciative - when both of the cooperative’s applications were approved recently as part of Gov. Kristi Noem’s Connect South Dakota broadband program.
Upgraded route equipment will help SDN and members grow

SDN Communications is making substantial progress in upgrading its core transmission routes to serve customers’ future needs. It's going to enable SDN and its member companies to efficiently provide higher levels of broadband services.
State grants help SDN affiliates improve connectivity across S.D.

It’s extremely important that the state and telecommunications industry continue to close gaps in connectivity that have left some rural areas of South Dakota underserved. A second round of grants from the Connect South Dakota broadband program will help plug some of the holes.
Race to connect businesses, network expansion among projects keeping fiber contractor busy

I was scheduled to connect with Brad Engbarth by phone recently. But an urgent cable-moving situation arose and his plans changed. When he answered my call, he was standing at the bottom of a 20-foot hole at a street-construction site in Sioux Falls.
Governor Kristi Noem Announces Broadband Grant Awards

Governor Kristi Noem announced today that 14 projects have been awarded grants to fund broadband projects to better connect unserved and underserved areas across South Dakota.
Midwestern Mechanical grows its business with help from SDN

As the IT administrator for Midwestern Mechanical, Inc., Matt Allen needs a good, reliable partner to help keep communications technology at the growing company operating smoothly and securely.
Video conferencing establishes its niche in the next normal

Video conferencing has been available for years. However, until COVID-19 started disrupting workplaces, companies used the technology mostly just to connect with employees and business partners not located within convenient driving distance.
Pandemic ‘has been a game-changer’ for telehealth center

The pandemic has thrust Avera eCARE into an even greater role in remotely providing medical assistance to regional affiliates of Avera Health and other health-care facilities across the nation.
Despite pandemic, 2020 is busy year for SDN’s growing network

It’s too early to say for sure, but 2020 could turn into a record year for network improvement projects at SDN Communications. While the pandemic has slowed activity in some business organizations, telecommunications, generally speaking, is not among them.
Updated portal gives businesses easy access to useful data

Detailed information in SDN Communications' customer portal gives companies the ability to assess internet usage, analyze secure, data-transmitting techniques, schedule networking tasks, and more.
Prospect of improved connectivity thrills Black Hills residents

By the end of the 2021 construction season, people who live, work or play in the Nemo, Rochford and Silver City areas should begin experiencing the benefits of a $4.4 million, fiber-extension project that SDN is spearheading.
Enrollment open for telecom degree with 100% job placement

The broadband industry that makes it possible for you to read this article online needs technical workers, and Mitchell Technical Institute has immediate openings, possibly even full-ride scholarships, for students of any age who are ready to get hired even before graduation.
Black Hills fiber project is hopeful start of something bigger

State-of-the-art, fiber internet is coming to three communities in the Black Hills, thanks to a $3.3 million federal grant and $1.1 million investment from SDN.
USDA Invests $3 Million in High-Speed Broadband with SDN Communications for Black Hills Communities

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the USDA is investing $3.3 million to provide broadband service in the unserved and underserved Black Hills South Dakota communities of Nemo, Rochford and Silver City.
Welcome to the new world of working at home

Widespread and fitting concern among businesses over the spread of COVID-19 has created a lot of new, home-based workers. I’m fortunate to know several who work out of home offices. So I asked some of them for suggestions.