ABOUT US

Consolidated is the premier provider for high-speed Internet, telephone, and digital television services in Southwestern North Dakota.

MISSION STATEMENT

Consolidated Telcom will deliver a state-of-the-art network providing advanced services to our customers.

Consolidated has kept our customers connected to the world with telephone, television and high-speed Internet since 1961. We proudly continue that tradition of commitment and passion to our customers today.

CORE VALUES

We will treat each other, and our customers, with respect and dignity, honesty and integrity, doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason.

We are committed to our communities’ long-term prosperity and actively participate in making them a better place to live.

We seek our employees’ long-term success by helping them develop skills necessary for the future.

We are committed to managing our resources to maintain the long-term viability of the organization.

Our HISTORY

From the beginning, Consolidated has always been a coming together of family, friends, and neighbors to bring service to the people of southwestern North Dakota.

On January 2, 1961, Bowman-Slope Rural Telephone Mutual Aid Corporation & Dunn Telephone Mutual Aid Corporation joined together to become the Consolidated Telephone Cooperative.  At that time, Consolidated provided telephone service in Amidon, Dodge, Dunn Center, Grassy Butte, Halliday, Ladd, Manning, Rhame, Scranton, and Twin Buttes. 

In 1978, Consolidated expanded and began providing service in Richardton, South Heart, Reeder, Regent, and Marmarth.  In 1996, Consolidated expanded again by acquiring five additional communities from U.S. West. The addition of Killdeer, Mott, Hettinger, New England and Bowman more than doubled the number of customers served. In 2001, these five communities officially became part of the cooperative.

In 1997, Consolidated’s Board of Directors and management made the decision to compete as a local telephone service provider in the Dickinson area. in 1998, Dickinson State University was the first customer for our competitive local exchange company, otherwise known as the CLEC.  The CLEC has grown dramatically over the past 20 years with customers in Dickinson, Belfield and Gladstone.

In 1998, Consolidated’s commercial venture also began providing Internet service in both the cooperative and competitive service areas. In 2000, Consolidated acquired a CATV system in Dickinson and today that video distribution system provides service to the entire cooperative service area. These subsidiary operations are wholly owned by the cooperative and have allowed it to spread the cost of providing voice, video and data services amongst a larger customer base to keep prices affordable.

In 2005, Consolidated took on the very ambitious goal of serving all cooperative customers with a fiber-to-the-home infrastructure.  Today, Consolidated is 100% fiber-to-the-home in all of the cooperative exchanges, serving 19 communities. Consolidated is working towards the same goal in Dickinson, upgrading its customers from coax to fiber facilities.

Consolidated faces many challenges today: uncertainty in universal service and network access compensation, declines in landline subscribers, and competition, just to name a few.  At the same time, we see many potential opportunities on the horizon. The Internet has unlocked possibilities we could just barely imagine a generation ago. Throughout its history, Consolidated has maintained its vision of providing access to the world to all of the customers it serves.

Since 1961, Consolidated has grown by leaps and bounds from two struggling telephone companies. Consolidated has invested millions of dollars in equipment and infrastructure to provide top-quality Internet, video, and voice services. Looking back not only provides a backdrop to our roots, it also gives us an opportunity to reflect on those who have through grit, guts, and perseverance made Consolidated what it is today: family, friends and neighbors bringing service to family, friends and neighbors. 

Our belief that treating our customers and employees with honesty and integrity is the only way to conduct business has guided us throughout our history. Consolidated’s motto of “Reach the World from Here” continues to drive our efforts to bring our customers the same services available to people in urban areas at a reasonably comparable cost.

What is a Co-op and why were they formed?

A cooperative is a private business organization that is owned and controlled by the people who use its products, supplies, or services.  Cooperatives have historically been formed to promote the interests of the less powerful members of society, with the idea that consumers could accomplish more collectively than they could as individuals. In the telecommunications industry, they were born out of the need for goods and services that were not offered in rural communities, because it was not often profitable for commercial telecommunications companies to serve rural areas. Farmers, ranchers, and members of the community banded together to find a way to obtain essential services, such as telephony, at a reasonable cost. Thus, telecommunications cooperatives were born.

What does being a Co-op customer mean?

Cooperatives are run by their customers: You. In order to become a member of a co-op, you must use its services. Every member has one vote, so organizational decision making is shared by all members of the cooperative. A Board of Directors is elected by the membership in order to handle the day-to-day operations. By purchasing services from your local telecommunications co-op, you are enabling them to bring new and advanced services to your community. Being a member of a co-op also has financial benefits. Revenues earned above operating expenses are disbursed to members on a pro-rated basis. These capital credits are allocated in a proportional manner – the more services you use from the co-op, the more credits that are available to you.

The biggest advantage to you as a customer is that co-ops are not motivated by profit, but by high-quality goods or services that meet the needs of their membership at the most affordable rate possible.  Rural telecommunications cooperatives are fighting for your interests and trying to ensure that you have access to the same essential services as a member of urban areas.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bill Schaller,
President

District 2 Grassy Butte & Killdeer Exchanges

Scott Bachmeier

District 4 Reeder, Rhame, Scranton Exchanges

Brenda Volesky,
Vice-President

District 3 Amidon, New England, South Heart Exchanges

Jan Stebbins

District 5 Bowman & Ladd Exchanges

Paula Anderson, Secretary/Treasurer

District 6 Hettinger & Regent Exchanges

Duane Zent

District 7 Mott & Richardton Exchanges

Janet Wanek


District 1 Dunn Center, Dodge, Halliday, and Manning Exchanges

BYLAWS

Consolidated Telcom Cooperative Bylaws

NOMINATIONS

Notice to Voting Consolidated Telcom Co-op Members:

The Nominations Committee is seeking qualified members to fill the position of Board of Director to represent Districts 3 and 4. Any Member from these two districts wanting to seek nominations for Director should contact the Nominating Committee members from their respective districts. It is the responsibility of the Nominations Committee members to select Board Candidates for these districts. Current Directors seeking re-election are:

  • Brenda Volesky, District 3

  • Scott Bachmeier, District 4

The Nominating Committee meets in February and will hold a final meeting in April to finalize the nominations. The results of the committee’s actions and names of the candidates will be posted in the Dickinson office, and will be included in the Annual Report. In addition, the chairperson of the committee will present a report at the Annual Meeting on June 21, 2023 at Trinity High School in Dickinson.

ARTICLE IV BOARD MEMBERS – SECTION 4. NOMINATIONS

(from Consolidated Telcom's By-Laws)

It shall be the duty of the Board to appoint, not less than thirty (30) days nor more than one hundred eighty (180) days before the date of a meeting of the members at which Board members are to be elected, a committee on nominations consisting of one (1) member from each of the seven (7) districts described in Section 2 above. No member of the Board may serve on such a committee. Upon selection, the Secretary of the Cooperative shall notify the members of the committee so selected and shall arrange the time and place for a meeting of such committee on nominations, which meeting shall be held at least twenty (20) days before the annual meeting of members. At the meeting of the nominating committee, the nominating committee shall prepare a list of nominees for Directors which shall be posted at the principal office of the Cooperative at least twenty (20) days before the meeting of members. Any fifteen (15) or more members acting together may make other nominations by petition not less than ninety (90) days prior to the annual meeting and the Secretary shall post such nominations at the same place where the list of nominations made by the committee is posted. The Secretary shall mail, with the notice of the annual meeting, or separately, but at least seven (7) days before the date of the annual meeting of members, a statement of the number of Directors to be elected and the names and addresses of the nominees, specifying separately the nomination made by the committee on nominations and also the nominations made by petition. No member may nominate more than one (1) candidate.

Any Consolidated Telcom Cooperative Member wishing to run or nominate someone for a seat on the Board of Directors in Districts 3 or 4 may contact Michelle Dohrmann at 701-483-4000 for further information.

Nominations by Petition must be submitted by March 21, 2023.  The deadline for nominations by a member of the Nomination Committee is April 10, 2023.  For more information on the petition process or to contact a member of the Nomination Committee, please contact Michelle Dohrmann at 701-483-4000.

Mail to: Consolidated Telcom

Attention: Michelle Dohrmann

PO Box 1408

Dickinson, ND 58602

Neighbors Serving Neighbors

Referral Program

$50

Bill Credit

For 1 service referred.

$100

Bill Credit

For 2 services referred.

$150

Bill Credit

For 3 services referred.

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)

Eligible subscribers can receive a maximum monthly benefit of $30 for broadband services. The monthly benefit for households on qualifying Tribal lands is $75 per month.

A household is eligible if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:

  • Has an income that is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines;
  • Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
  • Participates in Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations;
  • Is approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, or 2021-2022 school year;
  • Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;

Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications

A customer of Consolidated must either have a household income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in at least one of the following assistance programs:

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Medicaid
  • Federal Public Housing Assistance
  • Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Program

If you signed up for a Lifeline discount through the National School Lunch Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), or any other state-run program, your phone or internet provider will ask you to confirm your enrollment in one of the above, eligible programs when they do your next eligibility confirmation.

Lifeline is available for wireline, wireless telephone, and Internet services; however, only one discount per household is allowed.

Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications

A customer of Consolidated must either have a household income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in at least one of the following assistance programs:

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Medicaid
  • Federal Public Housing Assistance
  • Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Program


If you signed up for a Lifeline discount through the National School Lunch Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), or any other state-run program, your phone or internet provider will ask you to confirm your enrollment in one of the above, eligible programs when they do your next eligibility confirmation.

Lifeline is available for wireline, wireless telephone, and Internet services; however, only one discount per household is allowed.