About CTC It was May 19th, 1950 when seven men joined for the first official meeting

of the Crow Wing Cooperative Rural Telephone Company, which was later to become Consolidated Telephone Company. After obtaining personal loans, the seven directors started selling memberships to residents as part of the new cooperative. Today CTC services the areas of Sullivan Lake, Randall, Pillager, Outing, Nokay Lake, Nisswa, Motley, Mission, Lincoln, Leader, Freedhem, Little Falls, Brainerd and Baxter with Local Phone Service, High Speed Internet and now Digital TV with all the latest features. To compliment our service offerings, CTC also offers I.T. support to local businesses in need of professional and timely service with their computers, network set ups, and troubleshooting. As a Cooperative, CTC is owned by its members. To become a member of CTC you must live within one of our service areas and have one or a combination of Local Phone Service, High Speed Internet or Digital TV. As a member you are represented by our board of directors which is voted upon by our members. You are also eligible for Capital Credits which are distributed back to members when economically feasible. Our Vision CTC will be the premier provider of communication solutions providing products and services that enhance our customer s personal and professional lives. Our Mission CTC is committed to providing advanced communication solutions, with the highest quality of service, for our customers. CTC s employees inspire one another to support and strengthen the communities we serve. Our Values Integrity - Responsibility - Cooperation - Respect - Service Our Future With Technology shaping the future of our lives, CTC is setting the standard in telecommunications for the Brainerd Lakes Area. CTC is continuing to improve and expand our rural areas by implementing new equipment to deliver higher Internet speeds and Digital TV to compliment our Local Phone Service offering. With the first and only fiber optic ring throughout the Brainerd, Baxter and Nisswa areas, CTC is delivering the latest technology over our fiber to the home or business. With fiber optic technology we deliver Digital TV, High Speed Internet and Local Phone Service. As higher Internet speeds, and communication and entertainment become more streamlined in our day to day lives, CTC has the state-

of-the-art equipment and network to lead the way for the future. With offices right here in Brainerd, Baxter, and Crosby, you will always have the same home town support you re accustomed to getting with CTC for the past 50+ years. Advantages of fiber optic cables over copper
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Speed: Fiber optic networks operate at speeds up to 10 gigabits per second or higher, as opposed to 1.54 megabits per second for copper. A fiber optic system is now capable of transmitting the equivalent of an entire encyclopedia (24 volumes) of information in one second. Fiber can carry information so fast that you could transmit three television episodes in one second. Bandwidth: Taken in bulk, it would take 33 tons of copper to transmit the same amount of information handled by 1/4 pound of optical fiber. Resistance: Fiber optic cables have a greater resistance to electromagnetic noise such as radios, motors or other nearby cables. Because optical fibers carry beams of light, they are free of electrical noise and interference. Capacity: Fiber optics have a greater capacity for information, which means smaller cables can be used. An optical fiber cable the size of an electrical cord can replace a copper cable hundreds of times thicker.

Facts about fiber optics

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Fiber optics were needed because television cables were becoming more capable of carrying more information than copper wire so computer and telephone companies needed to compete with this. Currently all new undersea cables are made of optical fibers. Experts say that sometime in the early 21st century, 98% of copper wire will be replaced by fiber optic cable. Fiber optic cable installed for copper wire that already needs replacing is less expensive since it only needs repeaters to amplify the signals running through it every six miles rather than every mile. Optical fiber phone lines cannot be bugged or tapped. A fiber is thinner than a human hair.

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As a Cooperative, CTC is owned by its members. To become a member of CTC you must live within one of our service areas and have one or a combination of Local Phone Service, High Speed Internet or Digital TV. As a member you are represented by our board of directors, which is voted upon by our

members. You are also eligible for Capital Credits, which are distributed back to members when economically feasible.