RadioLink Internet abruptly shut down after notifying customers in an email last week. The provider cut off its website, phone lines, and email at the same time. Customers across approximately 5,000 square miles in southern Minnesota were left with no service.
Allison Ludeman on June 1
Allison Ludeman came home from work on June 1 and found that her internet did not work. She had relied on RLI’s fast internet speed during the COVID-19 pandemic to work remotely. "Where I live, my cell phone barely works without internet. It’s a pretty critical need."
She and one of her neighbors had already paid for a subscription before the shutdown. "It would be nice if he could give a refund for the fees that were paid in advance." RadioLink Internet’s owner, Daniel Petsinger, told customers seeking refunds to direct inquiries to the Minnesota Bankruptcy Court.
Daniel Petsinger in Ellendale
Petsinger based the company at his home in Ellendale. He said a declining customer base and a changing political climate in some of the communities the company served led to the closing. He also alleged that the cities of Ellendale and New Richland violated the Telecommunications Act of 1996 by shutting down broadband competition.
His shutdown came after New Richland’s city council voted in May 2026 to remove RLI’s equipment from its water tower with a 60-day notice. Tyler Lendt, the city administrator, said the city and the company had a contract from 2013 to 2018, and the equipment had not been removed since that contract ended. He said the decision was "based on ensuring that the city was fairly compensate and, most importantly, one of the city’s most crucial pieces of infrastructure was protected."
Ludeman’s case shows how fast a provider can disappear when it is the only practical connection for a rural home. Petsinger’s email gave customers no runway, and his comments leave the refund route tied to the bankruptcy court rather than the company itself. The immediate question for subscribers is whether advance payments will be recovered without another long wait.
