For Immediate Release

February 11, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

In case you missed it – In a recently published op-ed in The Dakota Scout, Joel Brick, a technical consultant, and Chad Benson, owner of Interlakes Wireless, warned that rural South Dakotans could face disrupted internet service if policymakers increase power levels in the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band.

“For small wireless internet service providers like us, CBRS is a critical lifeline both for the rural customers we support and our business,” said Brick and Benson. “Proposals to significantly raise power levels in the CBRS band…would fundamentally undermine how this spectrum works. While “higher power” may sound like an upgrade, in practice it means more interference, less predictability, and fewer usable channels for the smaller operators who invested in and built networks around the existing rules.”

Interlakes Wireless has invested heavily in CBRS over the past decade, building a network that serves roughly 1,100 families and businesses in Lake County alone. Changes to CBRS power levels could threaten the connectivity that rural communities rely on for work, school and local business operations, undermining the very framework the FCC designed to support rural connectivity.

Brick and Benson note that nationwide carriers already hold vast licensed spectrum. CBRS, on the other hand, has proven essential for local providers to deliver affordable, reliable broadband to areas often overlooked by larger companies. Preserving the CBRS rules ensures continued competition, innovation and community-focused service in rural South Dakota.

Read Brick and Benson’s full column here.