Local Internet provider creates waves with sudden closing leaving about four hundred customers in the area without service and no advance notice. Radio Link Internet based in Ellendale ceased providing customers with service late morning on Monday June 1st. The business operated out of owner, Dan Petsinger’s rural residence in the small town and had serviced about 5,000 square miles in southern Minnesota. Customers found that the website, phone contact and e-mail addresses were shut down and some who drove to the businesses office also discovered it closed. As the week unfolded it was learned that the company have filed for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy in federal court on June 1st .
Radio Link Internet had reported 700 customers only a year ago, a number which had dropped almost in half lately. Comments online had indicated dissatisfaction with the company’s service over the past years. Part of the problem stemmed from rental agreements on local towers used for Radio Link’s equipment. Most recently disagreements with the City of Ellendale and the City of New Richland over use of their water towers had become a legal issue.
Radio Link owed the City of Ellendale for unpaid rent and legal fees reported to amount to $60,000 and was informed in May that the City of New Richland had ordered the company to remove the equipment from their water tower after a contract, which had expired in 2018, was determined to not be renewed.
In January Radio Link Owner, Dan Petsinger was arrested after a dispute with Jaguar/Metronet. It started when Metronet attempted to remove a generator from Petsinger’s property. Both companies claimed ownership of the equipment worth in excess of $10,000. Petsinger was charged with resisting arrest along with other charges and spent the night in jail prior to his court appearance.
Customers scrambled to find replacement Internet providers when they realized the company had closed for good. Some reported having paid for a year in advance recently and realized after learning about the bankruptcy filing, there was little chance of recovering the funds.
