About Us

Our Story

A History of Collaboration and Innovation

In March 1953, the directors of nine North Dakota telephone cooperatives met at the Patterson Hotel in Bismarck to guard against unfavorable legislation, exchange information, and promote the general welfare of telephone cooperatives. At the time, most North Dakota residents still relied on party-line service, in which wires were strung from pole to pole and long distance calls were prohibitively expensive. Those directors joined forces to expand high-quality, low-cost telephone service across North Dakota, laying the foundation for what would become BAND nearly half a century later.

As communication methods evolved around the world, BAND and our 15 member organizations have evolved with them. In 2018, as the predominant form of communication technology shifted from telephone to broadband, The North Dakota Association of Telecommunication Cooperatives (NDATC) announced a new name: the Broadband Association of North Dakota, or BAND.

While the technology that we have used to communicate has evolved over the past six decades, our mission—to ensure the highest quality communication technology is accessible to all North Dakotans—has not wavered.