Vol.34Issue3| 2012

FoodandfunwerethehighlightsofSRT’sAnnualMeetingonThursday,June21st.Membersarrivedearly to vote and line up for pulled pork sandwiches andhamburgers.Everyoneenjoyedgiftbagsfeaturingraspberry,rhubarb-strawberryandjuneberrysyrups

from Pride Dairy in Bottineau.

Kids bounced, slid and climbed on a variety of inflatables and tried their hand at games. Dizzy

and Cloudy the Clowns were on hand creating balloon animals, and kids could take a break for a quick serving ofapplejuiceorcottoncandybeforeheadingofftothenextattraction.

PeopledancedtotheJMBBandandenjoyedmusicfromHighway43priortotheBusinessMeeting.SRTCEOSteveLysnediscussedchallengesthecooperativehas faced in the past year, including recovery from the2011MouseRiverfloodandtheFCC’sBroadbandfor America Plan. The meeting concluded with prize giveaways including $500 cash and a 2-night stay at Minot’sSleepInn,aswellasmanyothers.

Four directors were elected to serve a three-year term ontheCooperative’sBoardofDirectors.Nominations

of directors petitions were distributed and accepted at SRT’sheadquartersfromApril23rd-May21st.Fourmembers of the Cooperative submitted nomination petitions; all petitions were verified, which authorized the names to be placed on the official election ballots that were distributed at the meeting.

The following directors were elected to serve a three-yeartermonSRT’sBoardofDirectors:District1:ArdelRicefromMohall;District2:DennisErberfromGlenburn;District3:DennisSchottofButte;andDistrict4:TomSeymourofMinot.

2012 Election Results: District 1: (53 votes) Ardel Rice…………..53 Spoiled ballots……..0

District 2: (113 votes) DennisErber…….112 Spoiled ballots………1

District 3: (60 votes) Dennis Schott……..59 Spoiled ballots………1

District 4: (629 votes) Tom Seymour…….622 Spoiled ballots……….7

This Is Your Annual Meeting

SRT.NEWS 2

LocalHighSchoolSportsfromthecomfortsofyour living room!

FootballAug.21 Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood@

Kenmare-Bowbells-BurkeCentral

Aug. 25 Surrey @ Towner-Granville-Upham (atMinotState)–3:00pm

Aug.31 DesLacs-Burlington@WatfordCity

Sept. 7 Stanley @ Velva

Sept. 21 Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn @ Harvey-WellsCounty

Regular season football games start at 7:00 p.m. unless noted

VolleyballSept.25 DesLacs-Burlington@Kenmare

Sept.27 Lewis&Clark-Berthold@ DesLacs-Burlington

Oct.11 Lewis&Clark-Berthold@Stanley

Regular season volleyball games start at 7:30 p.m.

Occasionally, SRT must make changes to procedures in order to comply with government regulations. Changes in consumer privacy laws meanthatbeginningDATE,wewillnolongerbeable to have SRT representatives take payment information from customers over the phone.

YOU WILL STILL BE ABLE TO PAY BY PHONE.Insteadofgivingyourinformationtoalive representative when you call SRT to make a payment, you will be transferred to an automated “InteractiveVoiceRecognition”system.Thereason for this change is to comply with current regulations and provide the highest possible level ofprivacyandsecurityforcustomers’sensitivefinancial information.

SRT Customer Service Representatives will still be able to answer questions prior to transferring you to the automated system. Additionally, you may still choose to use one of a number of other payment methods including paying online, mailing in a check, dropping off a check at one of our officesoraDrop-Boxlocation,orpayingbycredit or debit card at one of our offices.

Change is Coming…

You could win 2 tickets to Ronnie Milsap & Olivia Newton-John on Thursday, Sept. 27th at 7:30pm.Milsapisalegendincountrymusicwithover40#1Hitsinhisrepertoire.Newton-Johnneedsnointroduction–thisbeautifulvoicehasbeensingingforfourdecadesandissuretopleaseanymusiclover!EnjoyaneveningoutatNorthAmerica’slargestScandinavianFestival, courtesy of SRT.Simply fill out this form and mail it to the following address by Sept. 17, 2012:

SRT Attn: Hostfest Contest3615 N. BroadwayMinot, ND 58702

Win Tickets to the 2012 Nørsk Høstfest!

EntriesmustbepostmarkedbyMonday,Sept.17,2012.WinnerwillbenotifiedbyFriday,Sept.21,2012.Ifwinnercannotattendconcertongivendate,alternatewinnerwillbedrawnonSept.21,2012.Concertdatecannotbechanged.ContestisopentoallSRTnewsletterrecipients.EmployeesofSRTarenoteligibletoparticipate.Nopurchasenecessarytowin.Oddsofwinningdependuponthenumberofentriesreceived.SRTCommunicationsInc.reservestheright,initssolediscretion,todisqualifyanyindividualfoundtohavetamperedwiththeentryprocessortheoperationofthedrawing.SRTCommunicationsInc.and its agents are not responsible for any printing or technical error which may occur in processing, printing or distribution of promotion materials.

Name

Address

Phone

Email

Our CommunitiesConnecting

SRT goes to the FAIR SRT was instrumental in this year’sNorthDakotaStateFair in a variety of ways. SRT helped kick off the Fair in the State Fair parade, and partnered with the North Dakota State Fair to sponsor theSRTTweasureHunt.Additionally, SRT gave away

concert tickets to several lucky winners ofFacebookcontests.Boardmembersandemployeeshelped with Co-op Day, and members of the Corporate CommunicationsteamhelpedoutwiththeToughEnoughtoWear Pink booth, also. Additionally, SRT Security was proud to help provide additional safety to fairgoers by designing a security camera system for the State Fair.

STATE FAIR PARADESRT staff and family members had fun “Clowning Around” atthisyear’sNorthDakotaStateFairparade!OnJuly20,peoplelinedBurdickExpresswayinMinotfromBroadwayto the Fairgrounds to watch hundreds of floats and vehicles andcollectcandyandgoodies.SRT’spickuptruckwasdecorated to look like aclown–complete with a big red nose, foam “ears” made from swimming pool noodles, and a gigantic yellow hat! The group handed out candy and clownnosestodelightedfans–kidsandadults alike. The parade ended at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds and kicked off NorthDakota’sbiggestcelebrationof the summer!

THE SRT TWEASURE HUNTSRT partnered with the North Dakota State FairtosponsortheSRTTweasureHunt,givingfairpatronsasocialmediaexperience.Peoplewereencouragedtofollow

@SRT_guy and @NDStateFair on Twitter in the weeks leading uptothefair.Beginningeachdayat9:00amduringthefair,@NDStateFair tweeted hourly clues leading to the location of the “Tweasure.” Daily prizes included a summer fun goodie bag from SRT, tickets to concerts, and a Showpass for the 2013 State Fair.

SRT GOES TO CO-OP DAY

SRT was proud to participate once again in KX/Co-Op Day at the StateFair.OnJuly25,representatives from co-ops across the state gathered to meet and greet members and celebrate the unique

contribution that co-ops make to our state. This was a special year because 2012 is designated by the UnitedNationsastheInternationalYear of Cooperatives, and a number of representatives sported bright orange shirts celebrating this. SRT board members helped serve a free pancake breakfast and free ice cream social to the public, and SRT employees were onhandtotalkaboutSRT’sproductsand hand out goodies throughout the day.

Our CommunitiesConnecting

SRT.NEWS 4

SRT goes out for National Night Out!On August 7, SRT partnered with local law enforcement agencies and businesses to sponsor National Night Out atMinot’sNorthHillSoccerComplex.NationalNightOut is a nationwide event to provide a safe, fun, and free activity for families, as well as an opportunity for law enforcement agencies to meet and educate the public. A number of agencies had vehicles on display, including theMinotPoliceDepartment’sBombSquad,K-9,andSWATTeamvehicles,USBorderPatrolATVs,andtheMinotFire Department, among others. SRT sponsored several games and activities, and SRT staff were on hand to shareinformationabout911Basicsandhandoutpencilsfor kids headed back to school. A number of other local organizations also contributed to this fun and educational event,includingTarget,TrinityHealth,MSU,AmericanBankCenter,MinotAreaCreditUnions,ProjectRenew,NorthDakotaPreventionCenter/Dept.ofHumanServices,MinotMousers,andProjectSafeNeighborhoods.

Everysummer,theFoundationforRuralServiceYouthTour brings together high school students from across ruralAmericatovisitournation’scapitalandlearnaboutrural telecommunications. The tour provides a forum for teens to meet and interact with their peers from other rural communities, as well as, key legislative, regulatory and government figures. Since its inception in 1995, the youth tour has hosted thousands of students. Ashley Stensby fromSawyerandJohnSallingfromMinotRyanwereselected on behalf of SRT.

We love geting out and meeting our members. BoardmemberJohnMarshallgave out candy at the Granville All-School parade.

The weather was cloudy, but SRT brought sunshine to Towner’s Town & Country Days with free banana splits.

SRTandBEKLifeteamedupWednesday,August22tohostthe Country Cook-Off & Community Picnic in Velva. People came out for free burgers, hot dogs, salads, games and a taste of the competition from two formidable local grilling teams.

CountryCook-OffwinnersMaryLizDavisandSuzyLeetookhome $75 cash prizes and trophies by making marinated chicken with tomatoes and feta, zucchini, cucumbers in cream and marinated nectarines with ice cream. Cindy ShattuckandSandeeMichalenkoearnedsecondplacewithmarinated chicken, grilled bread, and grilled vegetables. TheeventairedlivethroughBEKLifeprogrammingviaSRTcable TV channel 78 and SRTVision channel 118. The event was a great way to bring the community together and bring summer to a fun and friendly close.

“SRT.news” is a quarterlypublication of SRT, Minot, NDCassidy R. Kersten, Editor

PO Box 2027Minot, ND 58702-2027

858-1200800-737-9130www.srt.com

What is Lifeline and Link-Up?Lifeline and Link-Up are government benefit programs supported by the Universal Service Fund that provides a discount on phone service for qualifying low-income consumers.

Qualifying for Lifeline and Link-Up SupportA consumer of SRT Communications or North Dakota Network Co. (doing business as SRT Wireless), must either have a household income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or participate in one of the following assistance programs:

•FederalPublicHousingAssistance(FPHA) or Section 8

•SupplementalNutritionAssistanceProgram(SNAP) •LowIncomeHomeEnergy

AssistanceProgram(LIHEAP) •Medicaid •NationalSchoolLunchProgram’sfree

lunch program •SupplementalSecurityIncome(SSI) •TemporaryAssistanceforNeedyFamilies(TANF)

or (TTANF) •BureauofIndianAffairsGeneralAssistance •HeadStart(thosemeetingitsincome

qualifying standard)

Important Notes for Eligible Consumers Nationwide •These services are available for both wireline and wireless

telephone services, however only one discount per household is allowed. Link-Up is only available to Tribal land customers.

•Consumerswhowillfullymakefalsestatementsinorder to obtain the benefit can be punished by fine or imprisonment or can be barred from the program.

How Can I Sign Up?To apply for Lifeline or enhanced Lifeline and Link-Up, call SRT Communications or North Dakota Network Company (doing business as SRT Wireless) at 701-858-1200 or 1-800-737-9130. Lifeline Assistance Application forms for SRT Communications,Inc.andNorthDakotaNetworkCo.(dbaSRTWireless)areavailableatwww.srt.com.Bycompletingthis application, you are certifying that all Lifeline qualification requirements are met. Application forms can be mailed to P.O.Box2027,Minot,ND58702-2027.Uponreceiptoftheapplication form, SRT or SRT Wireless may require additional documentation.

Lifeline and Link-Up Telephone Assistance Program

Lochtowe wins Eagle AwardSRT Combination Technician Lance LochtowewasthewinneroftheMinotChamberofCommerce’sEagleAward,which recognizes people during a monthly award ceremony. Nominees are acknowledged for providing excellentcustomerservice.

Lochtowe was nominated by a customer who had reported a trouble with his landline telephone. The

gentleman felt Lochtowe went above and beyond “usual” customer service. “Mr.Lochtowewasfriendly,courteous,and professional in our meeting. Hefullyexplainedtheproblemandshowedwhatcausedit,afterhefixedthe problem.” The customer was so satisfied with the service that he felt Lochtowe deserved to be recognized.

Congratulations, Lance!

“SRT.news” is a quarterlypublication of SRT, Minot, NDCassidy R. Kersten, Editor

PO Box 2027Minot, ND 58702-2027

858-1200800-737-9130www.srt.com

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