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 12-48 Released: January 12, 2012 DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR THE TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF IDEAONE TELECOM GROUP, LLC TO HICKORY TECH CORPORATION STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED WC Docket No. 11-208 Comments Due: January 26, 2012 Reply Comments Due: February 2, 2012 On December 16, 2011, North Dakota Telecom I, LLC (NDT), Southeast Rural Vision Enterprises Co. (SRVE, and with NDT, the Transferors) and Hickory Tech Corporation (Hickory Tech) (collectively, Applicants) filed an application pursuant to section 63.03 of the Commission’s rules1 to transfer control of IdeaOne Telecom Group, LLC (IdeaOne) from Transferors to Hickory Tech.2 IdeaOne, a North Dakota limited liability company, is a non-dominant, competitive local exchange carrier (LEC) that provides local exchange telephone services and interstate exchange access and long distance toll services in the Fargo and West Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota areas. IdeaOne provides fiber optic-based voice and data services, high speed and dial up Internet access and wireless broadband services to approximately 3,600 business and residential customers. IdeaOne is directly owned by NDT, a North Dakota limited liability company and SRVE, a North Dakota corporation. Hickory Tech, a publicly-traded Minnesota company, offers telecommunications services through its incumbent and competitive local exchange carrier subsidiaries, which provide local exchange telephone services and interstate exchange access and long distance toll services in Minnesota, South Dakota and Iowa (excluding the Moorhead, Minnesota area). Hickory Tech’s incumbent LEC affiliates (all Minnesota-formed entities) include: (1) Mankato Citizens Telephone Company, providing service in Mankato, Minnesota; (2) Heartland Telecommunications Company of Iowa, providing service in Akron, Bancroft, Boyden, Doon, Hawarden, Hull, Ireton, Lakota, Rock Rapids, Rock Valley, Sibley, Iowa; West Hawarden and West Akron, South Dakota and North Rock Rapids, Minnesota; and (3) Mid- Communications, Inc., providing service in Amboy, Cambria, Eagle Lake, Garden City, Good Thunder, 1 47 C.F.R § 63.03; see 47 U.S.C. § 214. 2 Applicants stated they will also file applications for transfer of control associated with authorizations for international resale services (ITC-214-20111115-00345) and 3650-3700 MHz service station WQME615 and its spectrum lease (L000000043). Any action on this domestic section 214 application is without prejudice to Commission action on other pending applications. Applicants filed a supplement to the application on January 11, 2012. Lake Crystal, Madison Lake, Mapleton, Pemberton, St. Clair and Vernon Center, Minnesota. Applicants state that IdeaOne does not provide telephone exchange or exchange access services in any of these geographic areas. Applicants state that no individual or entity owns or controls a ten percent or greater ownership or voting interest in Hickory Tech. Enventis Telecom, Inc. (Enventis), a Minnesota corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hickory Tech, is an integrated communications services provider that offers private line and advanced data service to businesses and communities primarily in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and also to certain communities in Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota. Enventis also provides converged communication services that allow VoIP voice, video and data communications to use the same delivery technology.3 Enventis owns a backbone point of presence at Fargo-Moorhead, but applicants state that neither Hickory Tech nor its affiliates offers local exchange, exchange access, long distance toll or other regulated telecommunications services in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Crystal Communications, Inc., a Minnesota corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of HickoryTech, is a facilities-based competitive LEC that provides telecommunications services in south central Minnesota and in the Des Moines, Iowa area. The proposed transaction involves the purchase by HickoryTech of all of the membership/ownership interests in IdeaOne from NDT and SRVE, resulting in Hickory Tech becoming the direct parent of IdeaOne. Applicants state that the proposed transaction will be transparent to IdeaOne’s customers, and that after completion of the transaction, the current customers of IdeaOne will continue to be served by IdeaOne pursuant to IdeaOne’s existing domestic Section 214 authorization. Applicants assert that the proposed transaction is entitled to presumptive streamlined treatment under section 63.03(b)(2)(ii) of the Commission’s rules and that a grant of the application will serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity.4 Domestic Section 214 Application Filed for the Transfer of Control of IdeaOne Telecom Group, LLC to Hickory Tech Corporation, WC Docket No. 11-208 (filed Dec. 16, 2011). GENERAL INFORMATION The transfer of control identified herein has been found, upon initial review, to be acceptable for filing as a streamlined application. The Commission reserves the right to return any transfer 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 January 26, 2012, and reply comments on or before February 2, 2012. Unless otherwise notified by the Commission, the Applicants may transfer control on the 31st day after the date of this notice.5 Comments should be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). 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://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/. 3 Enventis provides interconnected VoIP services via resold private lines to business customers in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. 4 47 C.F.R. § 63.03(b)(2)(ii). 5 Such authorization is conditioned upon receipt of any other necessary approvals from the Commission in connection with the proposed transaction. In addition, e-mail one copy of each pleading to each of the following: 1) The Commission’s duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., fcc@bcpiweb.com; phone: (202) 488-5300; fax: (202) 488-5563; 2) Tracey Wilson, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, tracey.wilson@fcc.gov; 3) Christopher Sova, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, christopher.sova@fcc.gov; 4) David Krech, Policy Division, International Bureau, david.krech@fcc.gov; and 5) Jim Bird, Office of General Counsel, jim.bird@fcc.gov. Filings and comments are 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; e-mail: fcc@bcpiweb.com; url: www.bcpiweb.com. 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). For further information, please contact Tracey Wilson at (202) 418-1394 or Christopher Sova at (202) 418-1868. - FCC -