Federal Communications Commission DA 26-214 DA 26-214 Released: March 3, 2026 DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATIONS FILED FOR THE TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF MOUNTAIN WEST TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION AND THE CHUGWATER TELEPHONE COMPANY NON-STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED WC Docket Nos. 26-3 and 26-9 Comments Due: March 17, 2026 Reply Comments Due: March 24, 2026 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment from interested parties on two related applications (Applications), filed pursuant to section 214(a) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and section 63.04 of the Commission’s rules, See 47 U.S.C. § 214(a); 47 CFR § 63. 04. requesting Commission consent for the transfer of control of Mountain West Technologies Corporation (Mountain West) and its wholly owned subsidiary, The Chugwater Telephone Company (Chugwater). The first application seeks Commission consent for the prior transfer of control in April 2021 of Mountain West and its subsidiary, Chugwater, to WERCS Corporation (WERCS) (together, 2021 Transfer Applicants) Domestic Section 214 Application for the Transfer of Control of Mountain West Technologies Corporation to WERCS Corporation, WC Docket No. 26-3 (filed Jan. 2, 2026) (2021 Transfer Application). On January 8, 2026, the applicants for the 2021 Transfer Application filed a request for special temporary authority (STA) to allow Mountain West and its subsidiary, Chugwater, to continue to provide service to customers while the 2021 Transfer Application is pending. See Letter from Timothy Doughty and Wesley Wright, Counsel to Mountain West, to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC, WC Docket No. 26-3 (filed Jan. 8, 2022) (Request for STA). On January 22, 2026, the Bureau granted the STA for the domestic authorization for a period of 180 days. Applicants filed a supplement to the 2021 Transfer Application on February 10, 2026. See Letter from Tim Doughty, Counsel to WERCS Corporation, to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC, WC Docket No. 26-3 (filed on Feb. 10, 2026) (2021 Transfer Supplement). Any action on the 2021 Transfer Application is without prejudice to Commission action on other related applications. for which Commission consent was not sought. The second application seeks Commission consent for the proposed transfer of control of WERCS, and its subsidiaries, to Inventive Wireless of Nebraska, LLC dba Vistabeam (Vistabeam) (Vistabeam and WERCS, together, 2026 Transfer Applicants) (2021 Transfer Applicants and 2026 Transfer Applicants, together, Applicants). Domestic Section 214 Application for the Transfer of Control of WERCS Corporation to Inventive Wireless of Nebraska, LLC, WC Docket No. 26-9 (filed Jan. 9, 2026) (2026 Transfer Application). Applicants filed a supplement to the 2026 Transfer Application on February 9, 2026. Letter from Tim Doughty, Counsel to WERCS Corporation, and Stephen E. Coran, Counsel to Inventive Wireless of Nebraska, LLC, to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC, WC Docket No. 26-9 (filed on Feb. 9, 2026) (2026 Transfer Supplement). Any action on the 2026 Transfer Application is without prejudice to Commission action on other related applications. Current proposed transaction WERCS, a Wyoming corporation, wholly-owns Mountain West, a Wyoming corporation, which provides competitive voice service and other services to consumers and businesses in central Wyoming to approximately 7,500 customers. 2026 Transfer Application at 2, 12; 2026 Transfer Supplement at 2. Applicants state that Mountain West is designated as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) in Wyoming and receives universal service fund (USF) high-cost support in the form of Connect America Fund Phase II Auction (CAF Phase II) to serve 550 locations in Wyoming. 2026 Transfer Application at 2; 2026 Transfer Supplement at 2. Applicants also state that Mountain West participates in the Lifeline program and will continue to do so post-transaction. 2026 Transfer Supplement at 2. Mountain West wholly-owns Chugwater, a Wyoming corporation, which currently provides voice service and other services as an incumbent local exchange carrier to approximately 107 customers in the Chugwater Exchange in Wyoming. Id; 2026 Transfer Supplement at 2. Applicants state that Chugwater is designated as an ETC in Wyoming and receives Enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model (Enhanced A-CAM) support to serve 194 locations in Wyoming and Intercarrier Compensation Recovery (ICC) in Wyoming. 2026 Transfer Application at 12, 13; 2026 Transfer Supplement at 1-2. Applicants also state that Mountain West participates in the Lifeline program and will continue to do so post-transaction. 2026 Transfer Supplement at 2. Vistabeam, a Nebraska limited liability company, provides competitive voice services and other services to approximately 8,000 customers in rural Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado. 2026 Transfer Application at 4. Applicants state that Vistabeam is designated as an ETC for certain census blocks in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado, and receives USF high-cost support in the form of CAF Phase II in those states. Id. at 12, 13. Applicants further state that Vistabeam receives Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) support to serve 309 locations in Wyoming. Id. at 12. Pursuant to the terms of the proposed transaction, Vistabeam would acquire all of the equity and voting interests of Mountain West from WERCS. Id. at 5. In conjunction with and immediately before the consummation of the Transaction, Mountain West and Chugwater will convert from corporations to limited liability companies called Mountain West Technologies, LLC and The Chugwater Telephone Company, LLC, respectively. Id. As a result, Mountain West and Chugwater would become wholly-owned subsidiaries of Vistabeam. Id. at 5-6. In addition to other consideration, at closing, WERCS will obtain an equity and voting interest in Vistabeam. Id. Applicants state that, after closing, the following U.S. entities and citizens will hold a ten percent or greater interest in Vistabeam: Matthew and Monique Larsen (50.02% equity and voting interest); Amperage Infrastructure Corporation (20.45% equity and voting interest); and WERCS Corporation (18.18% equity and voting interest). 2026 Transfer Application, Ex. C (Vistabeam Post-transaction). Prior unauthorized transfer 2021 Transfer Applicants state that, through a series of steps, Mountain West and Chugwater became wholly-owned subsidiaries of WERCS, which itself was ultimately acquired by the Moberly Family LLC, a Wyoming limited liability corporation. 2021 Transfer Application at 3-5; 2021 Transfer Supplement at 1-2, Exh. A (Moberly Family LLC Ownership Chart). As a result, 2021 Transfer Applicants state that WERCS is currently held by the Moberly Family, LLC, which Bob Moberly, a U.S. citizen, currently serves as the sole manager of and “has all voting rights on material matter for the Moberly Family LLC” and “holds a controlling interest.” 2021 Transfer Application at 3-5, 8-9; 2026 Transfer Application at 15; 2021 Transfer Supplement at 1; 2026 Transfer Supplement at 1. Applicants assert that a grant of the Applications would serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. Because the transactions are more complex than those accepted for streamlined treatment, and in order to analyze the public interest, we accept the Applications for non-streamlined processing. 47 CFR § 63.03(c)(1)(v). Domestic Section 214 Filed for the Transfer of Control of Mountain West Technologies to WERCS Corporation, WC Docket No. 26-3 (filed Jan. 2, 2026) Domestic Section 214 Filed for the Transfer of Control of WERCS Corporation to Inventive Wireless of Nebraska, LLC dba Vistabeam, WC Docket No. 26-9 (filed Jan. 9, 2026) GENERAL INFORMATION The Applications identified herein has been found, upon initial review, to be acceptable for filing. The Commission reserves the right to return any application if, upon further examination, it is determined to be defective and not in conformance with the Commission’s rules and policies. Interested parties may file comments and reply comments on or before the dates indicated on the first page of this document. Comments may be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). § Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/. § Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. § Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial courier, or by the U.S. Postal Service. All filings must be addressed to the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. § Hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary are accepted between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. by the FCC’s mailing contractor at 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building. § Commercial courier deliveries (any deliveries not by the U.S. Postal Service) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. § Filings sent by U.S. Postal Service First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express must be sent to 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 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. In addition, e-mail one copy of each pleading to each of the following: 1) Dennis Johnson, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, dennis.johnson@fcc.gov; and 2) Jim Bird, Office of General Counsel, jim.bird@fcc.gov. The proceeding in this Notice shall be treated as a “permit-but-disclose” proceeding in accordance with the Commission’s ex parte rules. Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentation must (1) list all persons attending or otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was made, and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the presenter’s written comments, memoranda or other filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with rule 1.1206(b), 47 CFR § 1.1206(b). Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules. To allow the Commission to consider fully all substantive issues regarding the Applications in as timely and efficient a manner as possible, petitioners and commenters should raise all issues in their initial filings. New issues may not be raised in responses or replies. See 47 CFR § 1.45(c). A party or interested person seeking to raise a new issue after the pleading cycle has closed must show good cause why it was not possible for it to have raised the issue previously. Submissions after the pleading cycle has closed that seek to raise new issues based on new facts or newly discovered facts should be filed within 15 days after such facts are discovered. Absent such a showing of good cause, any issues not timely raised may be disregarded by the Commission. For further information, please contact Dennis Johnson, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-0809. -FCC- 2