Daniel Friesen is the co-founder and chief innovation officer of IdeaTek, a rural fiber optic broadband company which deploys high-speed internet services in underserved rural Kansas. Mr. Friesen has direct experience in the construction and operation of more than 3,400 miles of fiber optic network, deployment of small cells, governmental planning and negotiations, and consumer advocacy. Friesen currently serves on an FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee working group and the Kansas Broadband Expansion Taskforce. He also serves in local government as a county commissioner in Reno County, Kansas, and was previously a three-term mayor of Buhler, Kansas, first elected at the age of 27. Friesen also enjoys aviation and is a licensed private pilot with an instrument rating.