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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, May 30, 2008                     
CONTACT:  Leah Mohr, Communications Manager, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, (605) 773-3201

PUC Commissioner Kolbeck appointed to national telecommunications board

PIERRE, S.D. – Steve Kolbeck, vice chairman of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, will serve on a national board that determines how costs among inter- and intra-state telecommunications companies should be distributed.

The Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations is a panel of state and federal regulators established by the Federal Communications Commission. The board is an adjudicatory body that addresses issues where state and federal regulators have overlapping concerns. The board consists of seven members who act as judges, including three FCC commissioners and four state regulators from across the country.

Kolbeck was nominated by the national association that represents state utility commissioners, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. NARUC President Marsha Smith of Idaho selected Kolbeck and three other NARUC members from a pool of more than 250 state regulators.

Through his participation on the board, Kolbeck will have an opportunity to represent not only NARUC but consumers as well, particularly South Dakota utility ratepayers.

"I expect to use my knowledge of telecommunications policies, technologies and infrastructure as a member of this board," said Kolbeck. "I view my role on the jurisdictional separations board to be similar to my role as a South Dakota commissioner and that is to give fair review to telecommunications issues while considering consumers' and providers' needs," he stated.    

Kolbeck was elected to the PUC in November 2006 and is serving a six-year term. He is involved in several industry organizations including NARUC's Committee on Telecommunications. Kolbeck holds leadership positions as vice chairman of the 14-state Regional Oversight Committee and secretary of the Mid-America Regulatory Conference.

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MEDIA NOTE: Contact Leah Mohr, leah.mohr@state.sd.us or (605) 773-3201, to request a photo of Commissioner Kolbeck to publish with this release.