FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, Jan. 24, 2011
CONTACT: Leah Mohr, deputy executive director, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, (605) 773-3201 or (605) 280-4327

PUC's Kolbeck named to leadership of national committee

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Chair Steve Kolbeck has been appointed as a Co-Vice Chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Committee on Telecommunications.
  
The Committee on Telecommunications provides a venue for state commissioners to analyze trends in the telecommunications sector and share best regulatory practices. The committee works closely with the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, and the FBI. In addition, the committee passes resolutions on current issues that set NARUC policy.

Appointed by NARUC President Tony Clark of North Dakota, Commissioner Kolbeck will serve with Co-Vice Chair Commissioner Maureen Harris of New York. Commissioner John Burke of Vermont is the committee chair.

"I look forward to this opportunity," said Kolbeck. "This is a dynamic time in the telecommunications sector; new technologies are revolutionizing how we communicate with each other. One thing that hasn't changed is our commitment to ensure that these new technologies are beneficial for consumers. I am excited to work with my colleagues on these issues."

Kolbeck was elected to the PUC in 2006. He holds appointed positions through NARUC to the Federal Communications Commission's Interstate Telecommunications Relay Services Fund Advisory Council and the Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations where he is the state chairman. Kolbeck is also the president of the Mid-America Regulatory Conference and the Regional Oversight Committee.  

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Contact the PUC at PUCNews@state.sd.us to request a high-resolution photograph of Commissioner Kolbeck.