SRT Communications is proud to be named a Smart Rural Community (SRC) provider by NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association. Smart Rural Communities promote innovative economic development, effective education, efficient energy distribution and use, state-of-the-art health care, and other important services for Rural America.

Rural broadband allows communities of all sizes to flourish. SRT, a broadband internet provider serving north-central North Dakota, plays an integral role in building a brighter future for small-town America.

To earn Smart Rural Community provider designation, SRT affirmed that it offers 25/3 Mbps broadband to at least 50% of its service area; SRT offers that speed to 76%. SRC designation also means that SRT has a broadband subscription rate of at least 50% and is committed to program principles of collaboration and innovation. SRT celebrates being a Smart Rural Community provider as part of a national network of similarly innovative communities.

“It is imperative that our rural communities have access to high-speed internet. SRT broadband brings educational and economic opportunities to rural residents, in the places where they love to live,” said Kristi Miller, SRT Board President.

“Smart Rural Community providers recognize the importance of rural connectivity. Our farmers, ranchers, business owners, families, students – everyone deserves access to broadband,” said Cassidy Hjelmstad, SRT CEO/General Manager. “That’s why it is SRT’s mission as a broadband provider and a cooperative to ensure that north-central North Dakota can compete with even the most connected communities across the country.”

SRT congratulates Minot Parks on their official SCHEELS Complex at South Hill ribbon cutting today. We joined other sponsors and community members for the unveiling of the complex, featuring new amenities that players and spectators will enjoy for years.

SRT is proud to sponsor high-speed internet services to the impressive sports facility – providing equipment, installation, and maintenance of Gig x Gig fiber and free public access WiFi.

Mary Silverthorn, Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, visited SRT in Minot this week to chat, tour, and dig into the “fiber to the home” process.

Her visit included the opportunity to splice real fiber, a key phase that brings high-speed, reliable internet to each individual customer. Working off mapping records for every location in SRT’s territory, SRT splicer technicians connect thousands of pieces of “fiber” – strands of glass that carry internet and phone traffic – along buried routes. The fiber is fused from SRT’s central office headquarters to smaller offices throughout our service area and, ultimately, to the customer. By splicing fiber herself, Ms. Silverthorn experienced the precise work involved in connecting each home or business to our state-of-the-art fiber network – one at a time – across vast swaths of north-central North Dakota.

1. Have a Variety of Passwords

As tempting as it may be, try to not use the same password for multiple things. Varying passwords will limit the risk of someone accessing multiple accounts if they gain access to one.

2. Use Passphrases

Passwords and passphrases are different, and passphrases are better. Passwords are typically a combination of a single word with additional characters such as numbers and symbols. Passphrases are a series of multiple words with numbers and symbols. These words should be seemingly random to each other but have meaning and are easy to remember for you. For example, c0ffee54321 is an example of a simple password, but lovecoffeeeveryday19285 takes the word and makes a more complex phrase with a random number sequence which is much harder to crack.

3.Update Frequently

Change your passwords often. While this may seem tedious, it will reduce the risk of your information being compromised.

4. Use a Password Manager

There are many apps and services that provide password management. Research online before deciding which one is best for your needs.

5. Never Use Personal Information

Avoid names and important dates. Bad actors will often use social media to gain access to information such as important family members or pet names, your own name, or birthdays which are commonly used in passwords.

6. Improve Password Strength

The longer the password, the better. Many sites require an 8-character minimum password. However, industry experts suggest 14-16 characters at minimum, but more is always better. This is where passphrases and unique symbols can help with reaching the character count.