Federal Communications Commission DA 26-45 DA 26-45 Released: January 13, 2025 DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR THE TRANSFER OF EPIC TOUCH CO., INC. AND ELKHART TELEPHONE COMPANY, INC. TO IDEATEK TELECOM, LLC NON-STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED WC Docket No. 25-301 Comments Due: January 27, 2026 Reply Comments Due: February 3, 2026 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment from interested parties on an application filed by the Bob Boaldin Revocable Trust, Dian Boaldin Revocable Trust, Bob Boaldin Irrevocable Epic Trust, and Dian Boaldin Irrevocable Epic Trust (collectively, the Trusts) and IdeaTek Telcom, LLC (IdeaTek, together with the Trusts, Applicants), pursuant to section 214(a) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and section 63.04 of the Federal Communication Commission’s (Commission) rules, See 47 U.S.C. § 214(a); 47 CFR § 63.04. requesting consent for the transfer of control of Epic Touch Co., Inc. (Epic Touch) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Elkhart Telephone Company, Inc. (Elkhart), from the Trusts to IdeaTek. Domestic Section 214 Application for the Transfer of Control of Epic Touch Co., Inc. and Elkhart Telephone Company to IdeaTek, WC Docket No. 25-301 (filed Sept. 29, 2025) (Application). On December 18, 2025, Applicants filed a supplement to the Application. Letter from Stephen E. Coran, Counsel for IdeaTek Telecom, LLC, to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC, WC Docket No. 25-301 (filed Dec. 18, 2025) (Supplement). Any action on the domestic 214 application is without prejudice to Commission action on other related applications. The Trusts, all organized under the laws of Alaska, wholly own Epic Touch, a Kansas corporation and holding company that does not provide domestic telecommunications services. Application at 2. Epic Touch wholly owns Elkhart, also a Kansas corporation, that provides service as a rural incumbent local exchange carrier (LEC) in and around the community of Elkhart, Kansas, which also includes a small portion of northwest Oklahoma. Id. Applicants state that Elkhart is designated as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) and that it receives Connect America Fund-Broadband Loop Support (CAF-BLS) and High-Cost Loop Support. Id. at 2 and 9; see also id. at 14; Supplement at 1 (Elkhart also provides service in Oklahoma). Applicants state that, due to the de minimis area served, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission does not regulate Elkhart’s services, and neither Epic Touch nor Elkhart receives high-cost support for any area of Oklahoma. Supplement at 1. IdeaTek, a Kansas limited liability company, provides interstate and intrastate local exchange and interexchange telecommunications services, along with broadband services, to residences and businesses in rural Kansas and Missouri, via fiber optic and fixed wireless technologies. Applicants state that IdeaTek operates primarily in Kansas, where it is authorized to provide local exchange and interexchange services and is designated as an ETC. Id. at 3. IdeaTek is also authorized to provide local exchange, interexchange, and interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol services in Missouri. Id. IdeaTek also holds approximately 75 wireless non-common carrier licenses issued by the Commission. Id. Applicants state that IdeaTek currently receives CAF Phase II, and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) support. Id. at 3-4 and 9. IdeaTek is directly, wholly owned by IdeaTek Holdings, LLC (IT Holdings), a Kansas limited liability and holding company, which, in turn, is directly wholly owned by LDI, a Delaware limited liability company and investment fund. Id. at 13. LDI is indirectly and wholly owned by Last Dance Holdings, L.P. (Last Dance Holdings), a Delaware limited partnership and investment fund. Id. Last Dance Holdings is primarily owned and controlled by funds and entities affiliated with Oak Hill Capital Management (Oak Hill) Application at 13; see also Supplement (Revised Current Ownership Structure of IdeaTek Telecom, LLC) at 2; Application, Exh. B (Post-Transaction Ownership Structure) at 5-6. Applicants provide information on various providers of domestic telecommunications services that are affiliates of Last Dance Holdings and Oak Hill. Application at 13-16. and Pamlico Capital Management (Pamlico), which are private equity funds based in the United States. Id. at 13. Applicants state that the equity in the Oak Hill and Pamlico funds is held through passive limited (and insulated) partnership interests held by numerous, primarily U.S.-based investors, including individuals, trusts, institutions, and business entities, and that control of these funds ultimately rests in U.S.-organized entities or citizens. Id. Following the consummation of the proposed transaction, the following Delaware entities and U.S. citizens will hold a 10% or greater interest in Last Dance Holdings: (1) OHDOP Last Dance Aggregator, L.P. (OHDOP Last Dance Aggregator) (approximately 41.03% equity and voting); (2) Pamlico Last Dance Aggregator, L.P. (Pamlico Last Dance Aggregator) (approximately 32.24% equity and voting); and (3) George A. Pfenenger (approximately 12.82% equity and voting). Supplement (Revised Current Ownership Structure of IdeaTek Telecom, LLC) at 4. The general partner of Last Dance Holdings will be Last Dance Holdings GP, LLC, in which OHDOP Last Dance Aggregator and Pamlico Last Dance Aggregator will each hold 50% of the voting and equity interest. Id. OHDOP Last Dance Aggregator is ultimately held by Scott A. Baker, Brian N. Cherry, Benjamin Diesbach, Stratton R. Heath, III, John R. Monsky, Steven G. Puccinelli, and Tyler J. Wolfman, each of whom are U.S. citizens. Application, Exh. B at 9. Pamlico Last Dance Aggregator is ultimately held by Scott B. Perper, L. Watts Hamrick III, Frederick W. Eubank II, Arthur C. Roselle, Scott R. Stevens, Walker C. Simmons, and Eric J. Wilkins, each U.S. citizens. Id., Exh. B at 10. Pursuant to the terms of the proposed transaction, IdeaTek will acquire all of the outstanding voting and equity interests in Epic Touch, and thus all of the outstanding voting and equity interests of the Trusts. Applicants assert, upon consummation of the proposed transaction, Elkhart will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of IdeaTek and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Last Dance Intermediate III, LLC (LDI), a Delaware limited liability company, that is primarily owned and controlled by funds and entities affiliated with Oak Hill and Pamlico. Application at 4. Applicants state that, in addition to the transfer of control and in connection with the proposed transaction, Elkhart will convert to a Kansas limited liability company immediately before closing, and Epic Touch will convert to a Delaware limited liability company immediately after closing. Id. at 1-2. Applicants assert that a grant of the Application would serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. Id. at 5-8. No Referral to Executive Branch Agencies: The Commission determined in the Executive Branch Review Process Order that it would not routinely refer to the Executive Branch “standalone applications to transfer control of domestic section 214 authority.” Process Reform for Executive Branch Review of Certain FCC Applications and Petitions Involving Foreign Ownership, IB Docket No. 16-155, Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 10927, 10936, para. 25 (2020) (Executive Branch Review Process Order). The Commission, however, retains the discretion to refer a domestic-only section 214 transaction should it find that a particular application may raise national security, law enforcement, foreign policy, or trade policy concerns for which it would benefit from the advice of the Executive Branch. Id. Applicants state that the Application involves the transfer of control of carriers that hold only domestic section 214 authority and that ownership and control of IdeaTek ultimately rests with U.S. citizens or entities. Application at 20. Applicants therefore assert that, consistent with the decision in the Executive Branch Review Process Order, the Application does not require a referral to the Executive Branch. Id. We do not find any special circumstances that warrant referral of this Application to the Executive Branch agencies. While we are not referring the Application, we will provide a courtesy copy of this public notice to the Executive Branch agencies. See Executive Branch Review Process Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 10941, para. 36 n.99; see also id. at 10939, para 30 n.81. Because the proposed transaction is more complex than those accepted for streamlined treatment, and in order to analyze whether the proposed transaction would serve the public interest, we accept the Application for non-streamlined treatment. 47 CFR §63.03(c)(1)(v). Domestic Section 214 Filed for the Transfer of Control of Epic Touch Co., Inc. and Elkhart Telephone Company, Inc. to IdeaTek Telecom, LLC, WC Docket No. 25-301 (filed Sept. 29, 2025). GENERAL INFORMATION The application 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) Gregory Kwan, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, gregory.kwan@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 application 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 Gregory Kwan, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-1191 or gregory.kwan@fcc.gov. -FCC- 2