WRT High Speed Internet

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I WRT High Speed Internet

WRT recently offered a sweet little deal to our customers who felt like sharing

why they loved WRT’s High Speed Internet... (here are a few of them) A random drawing was held for 14 WRT Stadium Blankets.

In addition, our favorite “love story” received a $100 WRT Gift Certificate. WRT T

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Your monthly newsletter from West River Telecom • March 2011sletter from West Riiveo verr TeleT l

BOARD

PETITIONS

PG 6

STUDENT

EXPERIENCES

PG 5

Yo

Yourur monthhl nnne sslett

E

MORE

I LOVE WRT

HIGH SPEED

PG 3

DATES TO REMEMBER:

March 20 • WRT Payments Due April 4 •WRT Board Petitions Due

Thank You for

Sharing Why You

Love WRT High

Speed Internet!

My husband is 82½ years old. He’s handicapped & hasn’t been out of the house for 5 months.

I’m 83 and have arthritis. Our children convinced us to get WRT High Speed Internet so we could enjoy it more. We took their advice in January. Your technician installed it for us. It cost so little more each month that we hardly noticed it on our budget. He now spends hours and hours on the computer, filling his time while

I read or sew my own greeting cards. Thank You! Thank You! ~ BC, Mobridge

I LOVE WRT HIGH SPEED INTERNET

because we have a desktop & two laptops in our house! One of those laptops belongs to a 15 year old teenager who loves to chat, chat, chat to her friends on Facebook, Messenger & who knows what else!!!! Also have an 8 year old who loves to play in-ternet games. Can you imagine what it would be like to have dial up??? No one would ever be able to get a hold of us and lets face it, who wants to hear that awful dial up noise that goes along with the slowness.

SO TO SAY I LOVE WRT HIGH SPEED INTERNET IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

Wouldn't be without it! ~ HW, Goodrich

John & I met in a chat room and chatted for three months. John came up three times to visit me. We knew each other for eight years,

fell in love & got married June 4, 2008. We met on the internet with WRT! ~ CH, Zap

With the click of your mouse you are ready to go. I Love it. We also went wireless, this is the Best! Can’t imagine

not having both of these options! Way to go West Riv. We love it!

Thank-You, Thank-You, Thank-You! ~ JN, Beulah

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WRT TRIVIA / CONGRATS TO LAST MONTH’S WINNERS:

Corrine Quast, Golden Valley • Loretta Zinke, McClusky • Patty Morgenstern, Hazen

Complete this section and return it to WRT, PO Box 467, Hazen, ND 58545 or email to [email protected]. Please include your name and phone number. By including your email address you authorize WRT to use it for future correspondence, special offers, etc. (unless noted otherwise) Completed entries will be put in a drawing for a $10 credit on your WRT bill. Entries must be received by April 20, 2011

1. When you call 911 from a __________________ phone, the operator can tell exactly where you are. 2. ____________modems allow several people to use their laptops & devices online at the same time. 3. The deadline for the Telecom Career Exploration Academy held at BSC is ____________________. Name:___________________________________________________________________________ Phone #:____________________________ email: ______________________________________

News & Notes from WRT’s CEO

News & Notes from WRT’s CEO...

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The Annual Meeting of WRT will be held on June 3, 2011 in the Hazen High School Gymnasium at 1:00 PM CT. WRT is a Cooperative governed by its members through a Board of Directors. Directors are elected during the Annual Meeting. Electing Directors is one of the most important things members do. Please plan to participate in the election and, if at all possible, in the Annual Meeting.

This year, there will be two director positions on the Ballot. If anyone wishes to run for a position on the Board of Directors, that person must fi le a petition of candidacy signed by at least 15 qualifi ed members. This petition must be at the headquarters offi ce in Hazen, ND by 5:00 PM CT on April 4, 2011. Only members who submit a valid petition will have their name placed on the ballot. Information about which District Director posi-tions are up for election this year can be found elsewhere in this newsletter. If you have a question as to which District you are in please contact me.

You can get a petition and information about the Annual Meeting by calling 748-2211 and ask for me or Lo-retta. If you have any questions on the election process, please call me.

These positions will be fi lled through the election process. A member may cast their vote during the annual meeting or may cast their vote using an absentee ballot. Each member of WRT is entitled to vote for a candi-date in each open position.

Absentee ballots will be mailed, upon request, after April 4th. You may request an absentee ballot prior to that date but it will not be sent to you until after that date. There will be more information in the April Newsletter. For more information on voting please contact me or Loretta.

The FCC recently issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) concerning reforming the Universal Service Fund (USF) program and Inter-carrier Compensation (ICC). The USF provides funding to help provide affordable telecommunications services in areas such as we live that are costly to serve. Inter-Carrier Com-pensation is payment by long distance companies to local companies such as WRT for the use of our lines to complete their calls.

These two sources of revenue are a major part of the revenue stream of all rural telecommunications com-panies. As they reform these programs it is vital that the needs of people living in the rural areas of the country are not forgotten and left behind. The FCC will be acting on these in the near future.

Your Board and management have been and will be active in the discussion as the FCC and Congress work on this issue. We will be participating in this process directly and in conjunction with the various industry organizations to which we belong. This issue, and how it is resolved, is arguably the most important issue your Cooperative is facing today. The resolution of this issue will directly affect every one of our members. We will work diligently to affect a positive outcome for you, our members and customers. ~Mick Grosz, WRT CEO

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I WRT High Speed Internet

It saves me time! Time is something we never have enough of! I can surf the internet, research things & download pictures in no time! I never lose internet connection! And I have time to do other things that I need to do! After having WRT High Speed, I could never go back to dial-up! ~ DM, Hazen

because...

It’s so nice to just turn on the computer - and

you’re in business. I remember when I first had a computer with the old dial up - you couldn’t

use your phone. Also the tech support is

great - have used it several times. Always so helpful. ~ MC, McLaughlin

I LOVE WRT HIGH SPEED INTERNET BECAUSE…

it helps keep me connected to the people I love. Most of my friends and family live far away so I use WRT High Speed Internet to stay in contact with them. It is cost efficient and quick. With WRT High Speed Internet we can share photos and e-mails. We can stay up to date on what’s happening in each other’s lives. Even though we live far apart, WRT High Speed Internet helps us feel closer to each other. ~ LZ, Riverdale

WE LOVE WRT HIGH SPEED INTERNET

because we love having internet in our home. We live on a ranch so the

internet gives us easy access to weather and road information, agriculture information, e-mail, ordering things, WRT classifieds, phone directory, and

surfing the internet without leaving our home. There is hardly a day that we do not use the internet. We used to have dial up. It was so slow we didn't have enough patience to keep it. We were without the internet for a couple of years. We were thrilled when WRT said we could get WRT High Speed Internet. Once we signed up, it didn't take WRT long to install it. We appreciate WRT's

efficient, friendly service. We will continue to enjoy the use of WRT's High Speed Internet. ~ CE, Golden Valley

I LOVE WRT HIGH SPEED INTERNET because it opened up the w

orld to me & my family. We have access to family & friends that we weren’t able

to always talk to, but now we can. We now have the capability of shopping online if we can’t make

it out of town. It’s awesome!! ~ JJ, Mobridge

WRT HIGH SPEED INTERNET does not require waiting for dial-up.It keeps me in touch with

friends and acquaintances who do not otherwise write letters. It keeps me entertained

playing games on Pogo.com and Facebook applications, especially when it is cold and I don't want to go out in the freezing cold. It makes it easy for me to pay bills online and order necessities on

the Internet. I love playing games on it. ~JM, Elgin

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Q:

What is malware & how can I protect my PC?

A:

Malware is an abbreviated term used to describe a “malicious software” program. Malware in its many forms poses one of the biggest threats to internet users today. Malware includes things like spyware or ad-ware programs, such as tracking cookies, which are used to monitor your surfi ng habits. It also includes more sinister items, such as keyloggers, Trojan horses, worms, and viruses.

Malicious software has the ability to hijack your web browser, redirect your search engine attempts, bom-bard your screen with pop-up advertisements and even monitor your activity. Because malware is often poorly scripted, it may cause your computer to become terribly slow and unstable. If it is not removed imme-diately, this type of program can eventually cause your system to quit working.

Malware will fi nd its way to your system in various ways. It often comes bundled with freeware applications such as iMesh, Kazaa and other fi le sharing programs. These programs mainly consist of adware or a lot of pop-ups. Other forms of malware are installed from sites posing as software providers and will try to con-vince you to download a removal tool, claiming that your system is infected. Viruses and worms are mainly contracted via email, automatically launching themselves the moment you open an attachment. Some forms of malware can be installed from simply visiting an infected website.

THERE ARE SEVERAL STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP AVOID ISSUES WITH MALWARE:

• As always, you should have at least one form of anti-virus protection - such as Norton, SecureIT, McAfee. • It is a good idea to run at least one anti-adware/malware program in conjunction with anti-virus.

• Set your internet browser (such as Internet Explorer) to delete recent history, cookiesand temporary fi les. • Only open emails that come from a known and trusted source and that are expected.

• Treat all emails with attachments (unless you asked for that email from someone) as suspect. Hackers can send an email that looks like it’s from a friend or other known sender.

• Delete all unwanted messages without opening them. Never have the preview pane open on your email.

sources include: fcc.gov, norton.com, spamlaws.com and wisegeek.com

BEST WISHES • STEVE FRANK

Steve Frank recently left WRT for a different job opportunity with Dakota Car-rier Network (DCN) of Bismarck, ND.

Steve started at WRT while in high school working summers as WRT’s Ware-house Assistant. After graduating from college at NDSCS, he returned to WRT in 1995 as a full-time Installation Repair/Roamer. He transferred to the Internet Department in 1998 and later joined the Central Offi ce/Network Dept in 2003 as a Network Tech. He continued in that position until his last day of work at WRT on February 23, 2011. Steve and his wife, Julie, along with their two children currently live in Hazen. We wish Steve & his family all the best!

WRT is a member company of DCN and utilizes their statewide network for

transport and to provide redundant voice and data service. In short, WRT provides access from

your home to our facilities and then uses DCN to transport voice and data from our network out to the world.

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The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) is seeking applicants for its Summer Internship Program, which pro-vides an educational opportunity and work experience for individuals who were raised in or currently reside in a rural community. The Summer Intern will gain working knowledge of nonprofi t business practices and FRS programs as well as the rural telecommunications industry while working at the Foundation's headquarters in suburban Washington, DC. It is a 12-week summer program from May/June through August/September, with fl exible dates. Additional information and a downloadable application are available on the FRS Web site, www.frs.org. Applications must be postmarked by April 1, 2011.

SOPHOMORES

and

and JUNIORS

JUNIORS

Do you enjoy talking on the phone, surfi ng the internet and problem solving? Ever think about a challenging, high skilled career in the Telecommunications industry? Here is your chance to fi nd out if this is something you’re interested in. Join many other students with the same interest at the 2011 Telecom Career Exploration Academy in Bismarck and try the new hands-on activities and program.

Telecom Career Exploration Academy will be held in the Bismarck Public Schools Career Academy build-ing on the campus of Bismarck State College, June 5-10. Several agencies, includbuild-ing WRT, have partnered together to offer this great opportunity to current high school sophomores and juniors.

Those attending this academy will be introduced to the new skills of emerging networks including: fi ber optic and wireless data transport; and internet-protocol based television (IPTV) and more. Classroom activities will focus on activities and tours designed to build insight into telecommunications skills and knowledge.

Stu-dents completing this academy will earn one-fourth high school credit through Bismarck Public Schools.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION IS APRIL 15, 2011.

The Bismarck State College Foundation will be offering $1,000 scholarships in related studies to three students

attend-ing the academy. The scholarships will be awarded at the graduation ceremony on June 10, 2011.

This is a unique opportunity for students to learn more about telecommunications career fi elds

while earning high school credit.

For more information contact your school counselor, or Tammy Heick,

Acade-my Coordinator at 701.250.7911 or [email protected].

Do you have a future in communications?

Interested in

Interested in INTERNING

INTERNING in Washington, DC?

in Washington, DC?

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DEADLINE

WRT Board of

Director Petitions for

nomination must be

returned to WRT’s

Hazen Offi ce before

5:00pm

CT

on

Monday,

April 4

th

, 2011

WRT BOARD PETITIONS FOR NOMINATION DUE MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011

Any member wishing to run for the Cooperative Board can only do so by submitting a petition for nomina-tion. The petition must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the Annual Meeting, which will be held on Friday, June 3rd, 2011. Petitions must be signed by at least 15 Cooperative members.

Directorships open in 2011 are: DISTRICT 4 - Parts of Morton and Stark Counties in North Dakota includ-ing the parts of the St. Anthony, Flasher, New Salem, Glen Ullin, and Hebron exchanges lyinclud-ing within those counties south of Interstate 94; and DISTRICT 7 - Parts of Mercer County including the parts of the Hazen, Stanton, Pick City and Center exchanges lying within Mercer County.

CURRENT WRT BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

DISTRICT 4 - RAYMOND CARLSON, ST. ANTHONY

DISTRICT 7 - RANDY CHRISTMANN, HAZEN

If you are interested in running for the Cooperative Board, please contact CEO/General Manager Albert “Mick” Grosz at the WRT Hazen offi ce or call the WRT Hazen Offi ce at 748-2211 and ask for Loretta to re-quest a petition.

BOARD PETITIONS DUE 4/4

THE SECTION OF THE BYLAWS ON NOMINATIONS FOLLOWS:

Section 4.4 Nominations: Whenever a director is to be elected at the following annual meeting of the mem-bers of the Cooperative, any 15 or more memmem-bers may nominate an otherwise qualifi ed candidate by fi ling at the cooperative headquarters at least 60 days prior to the date of

the annual meeting a nomination petition setting forth the name of the person so nominated. Such petition shall state the name and address of the person being nominated, and the district in which such person is running. Each member signing said pe-tition, shall enter the date, their address and their telephone number on the petition. No member may sign more than one petition for each position to be fi lled. If a member signs more than one petition for a single position, the fi rst petition shall be valid, and if both are signed the same day, neither of such sig-natures shall be valid. The members shall elect, by secret writ-ten ballot, a director to fi ll each vacancy. Each member shall be entitled to vote for one director, who has been nominated by petition, for each vacancy. The director candidate receiving the most votes for the position shall be declared elected. In the event that there is no competition for a position, the director candidate nominated may be elected by voice vote.

The Secretary-Treasurer shall mail with the Notice of the meeting or separately, but at least ten days before the date of the meeting, a listing of directors to be elected and the names and addresses of the candidates.

The ballot shall arrange the names of the candidates by geo-graphic area. In the event there is no candidate for a position at the time of election, the chairman shall invite nominations from the fl oor for such position and such nominations shall not be closed until at least one minute has passed

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CLIP & SAVE WRT PHONEBOOK UPDATES

BEULAH BEULAH

A+ Playschool & Nursey ... 873-5858 Eric Buchholz Insurance Agency ...873-5911 High Plains Concepts ... 873-2334 (fax number) ... 873-2349 Kuch, Jeff & Dianne ... 873-4184 Lake View Services ... 873-2719 Richter, Debra... 873-5473 Schmidt, Frederick... 873-3733 CARSON CARSON Hertz, Daniel ... 622-3734 CENTER

CENTER including Hannover & Hensler

Wahlman Heating, Air & Plumbing, LLC .... 794-3517 ELGIN-NEW LEIPZIG

ELGIN-NEW LEIPZIG including Heil

Haskett, Jacob & Sarah ... 584-3801 Mrisar Institute of Science, Art & Robotics 584-2141 FLASHER

FLASHER including Lark & Raleigh

Antelope Hills Lodging & Recreation ... 597-3045 Weekes, Mary ... 597-3016 FORT YATES

FORT YATES including Cannon Ball & Solen Azure, Melody ... 854-4961 Holy Elk Face, Harlan ... 854-3018 Standing Rock Game & Fish ... 854-7236 Virginia Baptist Mission Board ... 854-3098 Windy Boy, Georgia ... 854-3475

GLEN ULLIN GLEN ULLIN

Dakotaland Feeds ... 348-3606 MAC Masonry ... 348-9732 Parsons, Darrell & Shawna ... 348-3508 GOLDEN VALLEY

GOLDEN VALLEY

Stern, Steven & Arlene ... 983-4401 HAZEN

HAZEN

Davis, Gene & Kate ... 748-2383 Davis, Jon Scott... 748-3362 Fastenal ... 748-2348 Knell, Mark... 748-6992 Krazy Deals ... 748-2825 Longshots Bar ... 748-2552 The Renovation Center ... 748-2555 Sebastian Custom Embroidery ... 748-2775 Wendt & Son Oilfi eld Service ... 748-6205 Widmer Roel PC ... 748-6213 HEBRON

HEBRON

Braun Ranch... 878-4069 Schroeder, Larry D & Allen Schroeder... 878-4918 Scott, Don & Connie ... 878-4040

McCLUSKY McCLUSKY

Confederate Bar & Café ... 363-2400 Neff, Wilbert ... 363-2640 Sipe, Levi ... 363-2285 McLAUGHLIN, SD

McLAUGHLIN, SD including Little Eagle & Kenel Church of St Aloyius ... 823-2222 Church of St Bernard ... 823-4401 Dog Eagle, Melanie ... 823-4219 Fast Horse, Dana ... 823-4884 Hanson, Les ... 823-2562 Little Dog, Brenna ... 823-4236 Red Legs, Wambli ... 823-2120 Red Stone, Tracy & Shanna ... 823-4186 Walking Elk, Kerry ... 823-4843 Wulf Cattle Depot ... 823-4467

MERCER MERCER

Christensen, Brent & Darcy ... 447-2722 MOBRIDGE, SD

MOBRIDGE, SD including Trail City & Wakpala Charles Dutt Electric ... 845-7365 Dawson, Dan & Kristen ... 845-7735 Hair By Hannah ... 845-3535 Ideal Lifestyles ... 845-2370 Bauer Law Offi ce PLLC ... 845-3366 Sacred Word Lutheran Church LCMC ... 845-2675 United Sioux Tribes Development Corp .... 845-3338 Walworth County Veteran Services Offi ce . 845-2725 Western Edge Designs ... 845-2630 Wiest, Lemoyne ... 845-3526 Wolff Chiropractic Clinic ... 845-5757 NEW SALEM - ALMONT

NEW SALEM - ALMONT including Judson

Almont Rural Fire Protection ... 843-7217 Dunford, Lee ... 843-9451 Prairie Rose Senior Citizens... 843-8472 Rau, David & Debbie ... 843-7104 U-Haul Co ... 843-7180 TURTLE LAKE

TURTLE LAKE

Bryle’s Firearm II ... 448-2282 Monson, Byron & Cindy ... 448-2290 UNDERWOOD

UNDERWOOD including Coleharbor

Cactus Corner ... 442-3099 Maxwell, Chris & Bobbi... 442-9226 Tbones Steakhouse & Lounge ... 442-3701 WASHBURN

WASHBURN

Nodsle, David & Carol ... 462-8324 Scott’s Hardware Inc ... 462-3364 Washburn Area Economic

Development Association (WAEDA) ... 462-3801 Weber Electric Inc ... 462-8291 ZAP

ZAP

Brecht Automotive

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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 21 Hazen, ND 58545

ECRWSS

POSTAL CUSTOMER

West River Telecom

PO Box 467, Hazen, ND 58545 phone: 701.748.2211 fax: 701.748.6800 email: [email protected] web: www.westriv.com

Visit our Local Offices: 101 W. Main, Hazen 114 1st Ave NW, Beulah 114 4th St W, Mobridge Offices Hours:

Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm CT with 24/7 Repair Service &

Internet Tech Support

WRT is an Equal Opportunity Employer

I LOVE WRT HIGH SPEED INTENET because

it's always there when I need it ...

We used to have the dial up and it was so

slow and inconvenient...

Now I just turn it on and BAM the world

is at my finger tips...

Although I am guilty of not totally taking

advantage of all you have to offer, it is nice to

know that it’s waiting for me should I want to

venture out of the box...

My kids use the internet all the time and its so nice to

have WRT High Speed Internet because we all get a little

impatient sometimes and want the info NOW...

So thank you for your services...

You are doing a GREAT job !! WE LUV YOU WRT !!!! ~ RH, Zap

I WRT High Speed Internet

Thank You for

Sharing Why You

Love WRT High

Speed Internet!

$100 WRT Gift

Certificate Winner

:

RH, Zap