CEO Message - Nov/Dec 2022

I would like to start this message with a huge thank you to everyone who attended the Dual Triangle Telephone Cooperative Annual Meetings in Havre and Big Timber. You, the members, are the reason we exist. Participating in the business side of your cooperative is very important and we appreciate all members who took time out of their weekends to join us.

The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for our members to voice any concerns they may have so we can address those issues or concerns. This year was our first year utilizing mail-in ballots. Mail-in ballots increased our member participation from one percent to nearly ten percent. We enjoyed meeting our members who attended in person to put a face to the voice we hear on the phone and it was great to see many familiar faces.

I recently joined Tom Schultz on the Voices of Montana to discuss fiber broadband and how we are bringing fiber to all our Triangle members. Triangle began plowing fiber to our members in 2008 and now in 2022 we are 90% done. We talked about the size of Triangle’s serving territory which covers Chester to Malta and from the Canadian border to the Wyoming border, which is 24,000 square miles with less than one member per mile. Co-ops have proven we can get the fiber in the ground to serve our members in our service territory.

We are proud to support our communities, businesses, and area youth. Triangle is a member of every Chamber of Commerce in our communities, and we enjoy volunteering within those communities. Additionally, we provide up to 37 high school scholarships and up to six college scholarships in our service area, as well as a Teacher Appreciation Program scholarship to help recruit and retain high quality educators in rural Montana. We also provide Technology Grants for K-12 schools served by Triangle and much more.

Visit our website, www.itstriangle.com for more information on the programs, support and services we offer.