FCC commissioner views critical infrastructure in Minot
Submitted Photo FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty and Senior Legal Advisor Marcus Maher, at right, visit SRT in Minot on Aug. 13 to tour critical communications. Shown on the tour, from left, are Jordan Kelly, SRT's Network Operations manager who is conducting the tour; Jesse Ketteman, SRT director of Regulatory Compliance,; Scott Senger, SRT's OSP Engineering manager; Cassidy Hjelmstad, SRT CEO and general manager; Maher and Trusty.
Submitted Photo Participants in a roundtable at SRT Aug. 13 are Scott Senger, SRT OSP Engineering manager; Jesse Ketteman, SRT director of Regulatory Compliance; Christopher Van Gels, vice president, Facilities Management at Trinity Health; Michael Frye, police chief for the City of Minot; Olivia Trusty, commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; Cassidy Hjelmstad, SRT CEO/general manager; Brekka Kramer, president/CEO, Minot Area Chamber EDC; and Kevin Harmon, vice president for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics at Minot State University.
Submitted Photo FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty and Senior Legal Advisor Marcus Maher, at right, visit SRT in Minot on Aug. 13 to tour critical communications. Shown on the tour, from left, are Jordan Kelly, SRT's Network Operations manager who is conducting the tour; Jesse Ketteman, SRT director of Regulatory Compliance,; Scott Senger, SRT's OSP Engineering manager; Cassidy Hjelmstad, SRT CEO and general manager; Maher and Trusty.
Submitted Photo Participants in a roundtable at SRT Aug. 13 are Scott Senger, SRT OSP Engineering manager; Jesse Ketteman, SRT director of Regulatory Compliance; Christopher Van Gels, vice president, Facilities Management at Trinity Health; Michael Frye, police chief for the City of Minot; Olivia Trusty, commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; Cassidy Hjelmstad, SRT CEO/general manager; Brekka Kramer, president/CEO, Minot Area Chamber EDC; and Kevin Harmon, vice president for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics at Minot State University.
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Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Olivia Trusty and Senior Legal Advisor Marcus Maher visited Minot on Aug. 13 to tour critical communications systems and engage in a roundtable discussion with Minot area leaders, according to SRT information.
SRT CEO/General Manager Cassidy Hjelmstad, Trusty and Maher toured Minot Air Force Base with officials there before touring SRT’s facilities to get a full picture of the broadband provider and the communities it serves.
Outside Plant Engineering Manager Scott Senger presented an overview of SRT from its establishment 75 years ago to its current impact as North Dakota's largest telecommunications cooperative. Highlighting the vast rural nature of its service area and advanced technology behind its services, the SRT team illustrated the importance of high-speed internet with real case studies. These stories included remote rural communities using broadband for telehealth and agriculture, projects based in Minot that advance regional sports and the intermodal Logistics Park hub driving international commerce.
Senger noted that SRT provides the same service to Antler, with a population of 19, that it offers in the city of Minot.
Hjelmstad and Carissa Swenson, executive director of the Broadband Association of North America (BAND), described North Dakota's fiber optic network - a collaboration of Dakota Carrier Network owners and BAND members that provides seamless broadband connection across the state and out onto the global internet.
When discussion turned to SRT's designation as a Smart Rural CommunitySM (SRC) provider by NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association, Trusty acknowledged SRC as a positive initiative that recognizes the work local broadband providers are doing for their communities.
To see the technology behind SRT's broadband network first-hand, the FCC visitors explored SRT's host facility. Jordan Kelly, SRT Network Operations manager, led an informational tour of the systems that support and deliver broadband throughout SRT's service area. Trusty met employees from operations, engineering, and IT disciplines and had the opportunity to ask questions about SRT's fiber network.
A roundtable discussion followed with area leaders, including Minot Police Chief Michael Frye; Kevin Harmon, vice president for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics at Minot State University; Brekka Kramer, president/CEO of the Minot Area Chamber EDC; and Christopher Van Gels, vice president, Facilities Management at Trinity Health.
During discussions, Trusty expressed a greater appreciation of SRT’s work and its impact on the state and beyond. She also noted how broadband supports essential, mission-critical services integral to life safety and economic prosperity.
"We were honored to demonstrate how SRT and other telecommunications cooperatives work to bridge the digital divide across North Dakota and advance economic vitality and quality of life indicators, both statewide and nationally,” Hjelmstad said. “We hope the day provided a comprehensive look at SRT's role in delivering telecommunications that national defense, regional healthcare, the City of Minot and our entire service area rely on. We also hope it illuminated real benefits of Universal Service investment and broadband connectivity - not just for every person across north-central North Dakota as they live their best lives in their own communities, but for the strength of our nation as a whole."