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June 30, 2008

Pawlenty adds two to task force

Tim Krohn

Brent Christensen of Madelia and Jack Geller of Mankato are among 20 appointed to the High-Speed Broadband Task Force by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Christensen is the general manager of the Madelia Telephone Co. and is appointed as the representative of telephone companies with 50,000 or fewer subscribers located outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Geller is a professor and head of arts, humanities and social sciences with the University of Minnesota-Crookston, and past president of the Center for Rural Policy and Development. Geller is appointed as the representative of rural residential citizens at-large.

Geller, who has since 2001 done research on rural Internet use while he headed the Rural Policy Center, said the task force will focus on what public investments should be made in infrastructure in partnership with private businesses.

“Government builds public infrastructure for people who aren’t born yet. The private sector can’t typically think that far out,” Geller said.

“We need to look at private/public partnership opportunities and find reasonable plans to finance things.”

The High-Speed Broadband Task Force was created by the 2008 Legislature to make recommendations to the governor and the Legislature regarding the creation of a state high-speed broadband goal and a plan to achieve it. The task force will operate until March 2010.

“Our charge is to give the governor and Legislature some good ideas and then dissolve, which is the best way to do it,” Geller said.

Geller said private telecommunications companies build much of the necessary infrastructure, but the state, cities and counties must look at needs further out and assist in financing.

“The CEO of a private business isn’t going to say they’re going to build something for 10 or 20 years down the road. They’d probably get booted out. We have to find those partnerships to make it work.”

The task force consists of 26 members, including 20 appointed by the governor.

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