Rural internet provider closes without notice
An area internet provider has abruptly closed, leaving customers without service and with no way to contact anyone – and now says he has filed for bankruptcy protection.
Questions about the status of Radio Link Internet, based in Ellendale, began late Monday morning; by 3 p.m., customers had turned to social media to seek out others affected.
By then, the phone numbers for both customer service and tech support had been disconnected; people in the area drove to owner Dan Petsinger’s home, which also housed the office. There, the business signs were down and orange construction cones blocked the driveway.
Two men were in an outbuilding, removing Radio Link Internet logos from vehicles.
Petsinger wrote in an email statement to the Times on Wednesday morning that “due to a recent downturn in support for local communications providers, coupled with a shifting community response regarding RLI’s presence in the area, the decision was made to dissolve the business.”
About 4 p.m. Monday, customers said they received word from the business via email, but with no mention of the bankruptcy:
“We are writing to inform you that Radio Link Internet has permanently closed all business operations, and all internet services have been shut down.
“Please be advised that this shutdown includes all of our communication channels. Our website, customer phone lines and company email addresses are no longer active or monitored …”
That prompted customers to question how they would receive refunds; prepayment for the internet service was made yearly. Some said they had just paid Radio Link for the upcoming year as recently as March or April, leaving them asking for a refund for the 10 months prepaid – with no expected service.
Filing for bankruptcy protection allows “breathing room” for a person or business to reorganize their finances – and stop creditor collection efforts – while remaining operational.
Since Petsinger has admitted his business has closed, it’s unclear how he plans to reorganize his finances. The “protection” also allows filers to keep assets.
Though the business was rarely named, it was at the heart of several lawsuits filed by – and against – Petsinger. Included as defendants are the city of Ellendale; members of the Ellendale City Council and several officials in Steele County.
In addition to losing the lawsuits and subsequent appeals, Petsinger was ordered to pay legal fees for many of the defendants.
He owed more than $32,000 to Ellendale and nearly $29,000 to cover the county’s attorney fees.
Petsinger has long sought to use the water towers in rural towns on which to place his internet service equipment; New Richland is the most recent city to order Petsinger to remove the equipment from its water tower.
In May of last year, he said he had “over 700 households and/or businesses that count on the service for broadband communication.”