Public Power

for today's wired world

about us

Linda Aerni and Paul Schumacher, the sworn sponsors of the petition, pioneered Internet in rural Nebraska in 1994. They have been involved in state and federal policy decisions and continue to advocate for utilization of resources – especially resources the public owns - for the growth and prosperity of Nebraska. Both are generally credited with an ability to "think outside the box" and accurately project present trends into the future.


Paul, a veteran of a number of petition drives, is a former Platte County Attorney and practices law in Columbus. He is the architect of the Nebraska Cooperative Government, a coalition of over 100 rural Nebraska cities and counties. Paul has been a major force in successfully collecting the necessary signatures in several petition drives. In 2004, he conceived Initiative 418 which requires a 2/3rds majority before the Unicameral can interfere with a law passed by Initiative of the People. 418 was adopted by 55% of the vote and is now part of the Nebraska Constitution.


Linda served on the LB645 Broadband Task Force and in December of 2006 submitted a “Minority Report” to the Task Force’s "Majority Report" that everyone in Nebraska had broadband accessibility. The "Minority Report" argues that Nebraskans deserve the same benefits from competition as people in other states; Nebraska communities should be able to provide services to their people, as do communities in other states; and Nebraskans are entitled to the same benefits of technology as people in other states. Both reports are sitting on shelves and have not been addressed by the Unicameral. Meanwhile Nebraska's ban on technolgy and the people using infrastructure they own remains in effect.


latest news

11/13/2007
Nebraska petition to lift BPL ban faces dramatic obstacles.   Read more.

10/21/2007
Our petition drive is picking up more and more attention as a real good idea.   Read more.

12/19/2006
Task force vies to set Nebraska BPL ban in stone.   Read more.

12/06/2006
Nebraskan Group Seeks Vote on Municipal Broadband Rules.   Read more.