PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 DA 08-740 Released: March 27, 2008 DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR THE TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF MOSINEE TELEPHONE COMPANY TO TDS TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION NON-STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED WC Docket No. 08-39 Comments Due: April 10, 2008 Reply Comments Due: April 17, 2008 On March 10, 2008, Mosinee Telephone Company (Mosinee) and TDS Telecommunications Corporation (TDS Telecom, collectively Applicants) filed an application pursuant to sections 63.03 and 63.04 of the Commission’s rules1 requesting approval to transfer control of Mosinee to TDS Telecom. The Applicants do not seek streamlined treatment for this application under section 63.03(b) of the Commission’s rules.2 Applicants state that Mosinee and TDS Telecom have, in combination, fewer than two percent of the nation’s subscriber lines installed in the aggregate nationwide, but, because of the adjacent service areas the Applicants have identified, this application is not entitled to presumptive streamlined treatment. Mosinee, a Wisconsin corporation, is an incumbent local exchange carrier (LEC) that has one exchange and 4,932 access lines, serving Marathon County in central Wisconsin. Mosinee is 100 percent owned by a voting trust. Applicants state that the voting trust consists of 99 shares, which are owned by these U.S. citizens in the following percentages: Estate of Nancy Knoedler Hillen (7.65 percent), Sara Hillen Boevers (13.05 percent), Clare Hillen Narusis (13.05 percent), Martha Hillen Hennessey (13.05 percent), Amy Hillen Thorson (13.05 percent), Paul Hillen (13.05 percent), John Hillen, Jr. (13.05 percent), and Julie Hillen Ignasiak (13.05 percent). TDS Telecom, a Delaware corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (TDS). TDS is a holding company that owns 82 percent of the nationwide wireless provider United States Cellular Corporation (USCC) and, through TDS Telecom, operates 119 incumbent LECs in over 30 states. In Wisconsin, TDS Telecom currently operates 20 incumbent LECs, as well as a competitive LEC, TDS Metrocom, LLC. Mosinee’s local exchange service area is adjacent to the 1 47 C.F.R. §§ 63.03, 63.04; see 47 U.S.C. § 214. Applicants are also filing applications for transfer of control associated with authorization for international and wireless services. Any action on this domestic section 214 application is without prejudice to Commission action on other related, pending applications. Applicants filed supplements to their domestic section 214 application on March 24, 25, and 26, 2008. 2 47 C.F.R. § 63.03(b). 2 Junction City exchange of TDS Telecom’s subsidiary Central State Telephone Company. Applicants state that USCC does not serve Marathon County, where Mosinee’s exchange is located. TDS is controlled by a voting trust holding 52.3 percent of the voting power of TDS’s total shares that vote in non-director related matters and 94.4 percent of the voting shares that elect eight of the 12 directors. The trustees of the voting trust are LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr., Walter C.D. Carlson, Prudence E. Carlson, and Dr. Letitia G.C. Carlson. Applicants state that the trustees are U.S. citizens. The proposed transaction entails the transfer of Mosinee from its existing stockholder – a voting trust – to TDS Telecom. Mosinee will merge with and into Mosinee Telephone Company, LLC, a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of TDS Telecom, leaving Mosinee as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of TDS. The Applicants state that the proposed transaction is in the public interest because TDS Telecom will be able to offer Mosinee's customers access to the state of the art service its companies provide, supported by the economies of scale and scope, which a holding company can offer its subsidiaries. TDS Telecom further states that it has no intention to adversely affect customers’ rates, terms, or conditions after the transaction is consummated. GENERAL INFORMATION The transfer of control identified herein has been found, upon initial review, to be acceptable for filing as a non-streamlined application. The Commission reserves the right to return any transfer of control application if, upon further examination, it is determined to be defective and not in conformance with the Commission’s rules and policies. Pursuant to section 63.03(a) of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR § 63.03(a), interested parties may file comments on or before April 10, 2008 and reply comments on or before April 17, 2008. Comments may be filed using: (1) the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal Government’s e-Rulemaking Portal, or (3) by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998). § Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ or the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Filers should follow the instructions provided on the website for submitting comments. § For ECFS filers, if multiple docket or rulemaking numbers appear in the caption of this proceeding, filers must transmit one electronic copy of the comments for each docket or rulemaking number referenced in the caption. In completing the transmittal screen, filers should include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable docket or rulemaking number. Parties may also submit an electronic comment by Internet e-mail. To get filing instructions, filers should send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, and include the following words in the body of the message, “get form.” A sample form and directions will be sent in response. § Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first- class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. 3 The Commission’s contractor will receive hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary at 236 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Suite 110, Washington, D.C. 20002. The filing hours at this location are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building. Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743. U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail should be addressed to 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20554. People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202 / 418-0530 (voice), 202 / 418-0432 (tty). In addition, one copy of each pleading must be sent to each of the following: 1) The Commission’s duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-B402, Washington, D.C. 20554, www.bcpiweb.com; phone: 202 / 488-5300 fax: 202 / 488-5563; 2) Tracey Wilson-Parker, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 5-A103, Washington, D.C. 20554; e-mail: tracey.wilson-parker@fcc.gov; 3) Matt Warner, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 5-C347, Washington, D.C. 20554; e-mail: matthew.warner@fcc.gov; 4) David Krech, Policy Division, International Bureau, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 7-A664 Washington, D.C. 20554; e-mail: david.krech@fcc.gov; and 5) Jim Bird, Office of General Counsel, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room 8-C824, Washington, D.C. 20554; e-mail: jim.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 Matt Warner at 202 / 418-2419. – FCC –