*Pages 1--5 from Microsoft Word - 53676.doc* PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12 th Street, S. W. Washington, D. C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418- 0500 Fax- On- Demand 202 / 418- 2830 TTY 202 / 418- 2555 Internet: http:// www. fcc. gov ftp. fcc. gov DA 05- 3175 Released: December 12, 2005 DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF STOCKHOLM- STRANDBURG TELEPHONE CO., FROM HAROLD NOWICK AND MARJORIE NOWICK TO INTERSTATE TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPERATIVE, INC. NON- STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED WC Docket No. 05- 335 Comments Due: December 26, 2005 Reply Comments Due: January 2, 2006 On November 29, 2005, Stockholm- Strandburg Telephone Co., (“ SSTC”), Harold Nowick and Majorie Nowick (“ Transferors”), and Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc. (“ ITC” or “Transferee”) (collectively the “Applicants”), filed an application, pursuant to sections 63.03 and 63.04 of the Commission’s rules, 1 seeking authority to transfer control of Stockholm- Strandburg Telephone Co., from Harold Nowick, and Majorie Nowick to Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc. Applicants seek streamlined treatment for this transaction on a case- by- case basis, as the transaction is not entitled to presumptive streamlined treatment under section 63.03( b)( 2)( iii) of the Commission’s rules. Applicants are incumbent independent local exchange carriers (LECs) that have, in combination, fewer than 2% of the nation’s subscriber lines installed in the aggregate nationwide, and no overlapping service areas. There is a combined total of 16,613 access lines for the carriers involved in this transaction. However, the Applicants have contiguous service areas along approximately a 26.5- mile border among several of the exchanges at issue in this transaction. 2 Because the Applicants have adjacent service areas, this application is not subject to streamlined treatment. 3 1 47 C. F. R §§ 63.03, 63.04; see 47 U. S. C. § 214. 2 The service areas of two of SSTC’s exchanges (Stockholm- Strandburg and Revillo) border the service areas of three of ITC’s exchanges (Goodwin, Clear Lake and Gary). 3 See 47 C. F. R. §§ 63. 03( b)( 2)( iii) and 63. 03( c)( 1); Implementation of Further Streamlining Measures for Domestic Section 214 Authorizations, 17 FCC Rcd 5517, 5534 (2002), para. 32. 1 2 SSTC is a corporation organized under South Dakota law, and is an incumbent local exchange carrier that serves a single study area (Study Area No. 391679) consisting of three exchanges and approximately 722 total access lines: the Stockholm- Strandburg exchange (approximately 199 access lines), the South Shore exchange (approximately 191 access lines) and the Revillo exchange (approximately 332 access lines), all in northeastern South Dakota. SSTelcom, Inc. (“ SSTI”), a wholly- owned subsidiary of SSTC, provides information and cable television services within SSTC’s service area and adjacent areas, none of which are within ITC’s service area. SSTI provides high- speed DSL Internet access to approximately 220 customers, and dial- up Internet access to approximately 162 customers. 4 SSTC currently owns a 1.19% equity interest in Express Communications, Inc. (“ Express”), an interexchange carrier that is owned by twenty- eight South Dakota local exchange carriers. Express provides domestic and international long distance toll services to customers within the SSTC and ITC service areas. SSTC also currently holds a 1.07% equity interest in South Dakota Network, LLC (“ SDN”), a limited liability corporation owned by twenty- eight South Dakota independent local exchange carriers that provides centralized equal access and transport services throughout various portions of rural South Dakota. SSTC has no other affiliates that provide telecommunications services. ITC is a telecommunications cooperative corporation organized under South Dakota law. It is owned by its approximately 13,760 owner- members. No individual owner- member directly or indirectly owns or controls ten (10) percent or more of the equity of ITC. ITC provides local exchange and exchange access services to twenty- four exchanges (approximately 14,232 access lines) in eastern South Dakota, and to two exchanges (approximately 1,659 access lines) in southwestern Minnesota. 5 ITC Capital, Inc. (“ ITCI”), a corporation organized under South Dakota law and a wholly- owned subsidiary of ITC, provides information and cable television services within ITC’s service area and adjacent areas, none of which are within SSTC’s service area. ITC provides high- speed DSL Internet access to approximately 1,559 customers, and dial-up Internet access to approximately 5,266 customers. 6 ITC holds a 0.82% equity interest in Onvoy, Inc., a Minnesota corporation that provides centralized equal access, transport, voice, data, videoconferencing and Internet services in Minnesota. ITC also currently owns a 7.64% equity interest in Express, as well as a 9.37% equity interest in SDN. ITC has no other affiliates that provide telecommunications services. 4 SSTI’s cable television service is offered in the communities of Stockholm, South Shore, LaBolt and Revillo within SSTC’s service area, and in the community of Milbank, South Dakota to the north of SSTC’s service area. 5 ITC serves the Astoria, Bradley, Brandt, Brookings (rural), Bryant, Castlewood, Chester, Clark, Clear Lake, Elkton, Estelline, Florence, Gary, Goodwin, Hayti, Lake Norden, Nunda, Sinai, Toronto, Waubay, Webster, Wentworth, White and Willow Lake exchanges in eastern South Dakota; and the Hendricks and Lake Benton exchanges in southwestern Minnesota. 6 ITC also provides cable television service in the communities of Astoria, Aurora, Bradley, Brandt, Bryant, Bushnell, Castlewood, Chester, Clark, Clear Lake, Elkton, Estelline, Florence, Gary, Goodwin, Hayti, Henry, Lake Norden, Nunda/ Rutland, Raymond, Sinai, Toronto, Waubay, Webster, Wentworth, White and Willow Lake in eastern South Dakota, and Hendricks and Lake Benton in southwestern Minnesota 2 5 (2) Tracey Wilson- Parker, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street, S. W., Room 5- C212, Washington, D. C. 20554; email: tracey. wilson- parker@ fcc. gov; (3) Alex Johns, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street, S. W., Room 5- C317, Washington, D. C. 20554; e- mail: alexis. johns@ fcc. gov; (4) Susan O’Connell, Policy Division, International Bureau, 445 12th Street, S. W., Room 7- B544, Washington, D. C. 20554; email: susan. o’connell@ fcc. gov; and (5) James Bird, Office of General Counsel, 445 12th Street, S. W., Room 8- C824, Washington, D. C. 20554; e- mail: james. bird@ fcc. gov. Filings and comments are also available for public inspection and copying during regular business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, S. W., Room CY- A257, Washington, D. C. 20554. They may also be purchased from the Commission’s duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 12th Street, S. W., Room CY-B402, Washington, D. C. 20554, telephone: (202) 488- 5300, fax: (202) 488- 5563, or via e- mail www. bcpiweb. com. For further information, please contact Tracey Wilson- Parker at (202) 418- 1394, or Alex Johns at (202) 418- 1167. - FCC - 5