Federal Communications Commission DA 26-636 DA 26-636 Released: June 25, 2026 DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR THE TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF WIDEOPENWEST, INC. AND OTHER CERTAIN SUBSIDIARIES OF DIGITALBRIDGE GROUP, INC. TO DUNCAN HOLDCO LLC STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED WC Docket No. 26-40 Comments Due: July 9, 2026 Reply Comments Due: July 16, 2026 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment from interested parties on an application Domestic Section 214 Application for the Transfer of Control of DigitalBridge Group, Inc. and its Subsidiaries to Duncan Holdco LLC, WC Docket No. 26-40 (filed Feb. 18, 2026) (Application). Any action on the Application is without prejudice to Commission action on other related, pending applications. filed by DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (DigitalBridge), Knology of the Valley, Inc. (Knology Valley), Valley Telephone Company, LLC (Valley Telephone), Knology Total Communications, Inc. (Knology TC), and Knology of Florida, LLC (d/b/a Knology of Florida, Inc.) (Knology Florida) (collectively the Licensees and together with WideOpenWest, Inc., WOW Parent), and Duncan Holdco LLC (Duncan) (Duncan and WOW Parent, together, Applicants), 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. The Application requests Commission consent to transfer control of Licensees, which are indirectly and jointly controlled by the following entities: (1) DigitalBridge Partners III, LP (DBP III) (63% equity interest); DBP III is a Delaware limited partnership and private equity fund managed by an affiliate of DigitalBridge. Application at 2. and (2) Crestview W1 Holdings, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (Crestview W1), and other affiliated entities (collectively Crestview III), Crestview W1 and Crestview III are both owned by private equity funds managed by Crestview Advisors, L.L.C. (Crestview), a New York-based private equity firm. Id. at 2-3. (37% equity interest), Application at 2-3, Exh. A, Exh. B (Pre- and Post-Transaction Corporate Ownership Structure Charts). to Duncan, and its indirect parent company SoftBank Group Corp. (SoftBank), a Japanese corporation, Id. at 4, Exh. A (Pre- and Post-Close Ownership of Licensees). as the result of Duncan acquiring control of DigitalBridge, and thereby acquiring DigitalBridge’s interest in WOW Parent, and thus the Licensees. DigitalBridge and Duncan are parties to another pending application seeking consent for the transfer of certain other subsidiaries of DigitalBridge, including Zayo Group and its subsidiaries and Crown Castle Operating Company’s fiber network business, to Duncan. Joint Application for the Transfer of Control of DigitalBridge Group, Inc. and its Subsidiaries to Duncan Holdco LLC., WC Docket No. 26-56 (filed Mar. 6, 2026). Applicants state that Crestview has no affiliates that provide domestic telecommunications services. Application at 10, n.4. DigitalBridge, a Maryland corporation, is a publicly-traded asset management firm that indirectly and jointly controls the Licensees, which are the operating subsidiaries of WOW Parent, a Delaware holding company. Id. at 2, Exh. A. Knology Valley, a Georgia corporation, is an incumbent local exchange carrier (LEC) serving rural communities in Chamber County, Alabama and in Harris County and Troup County, Georgia. Id. at 5. Applicants state that Knology Valley is designated as an eligible telecommunication carrier (ETC) in Alabama and Georgia, receives Connect America Fund Broadband Loop Support (CAF BLS) and Connect America Fund Intercarrier Compensation Recovery (CAF ICC), and participates in the Lifeline program. Application at 5; 16-17. Valley Telephone, an Alabama limited liability company, provides services as an incumbent LEC to rural communities in Chambers County and Lee County in Alabama. Id. at 5. Applicants state that Valley Telephone is designated as an ETC in Georgia and participates in the Lifeline program. Id. at 1, 17. Knology TC, an Alabama corporation, is an incumbent LEC serving rural communicates in Houston County in Alabama. Id. at 5. Applicants state that Knology TC is designated as an ETC in Alabama, receives CAF BLS, High-Cost Loop support, and CAF ICC, and participates in the Lifeline program. Id. at 17. Knology Florida, a Florida limited liability company, provides services as a competitive LEC in Florida. Id. at 5. Applicants state that Knology Florida is designated as an ETC in Florida and participates in the Lifeline program. Application at 16. Duncan, a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank, is a vehicle established for SoftBank’s investments in the United States. Id. at 4. Duncan is a holding company that does not provide telecommunications services. Id. at 12. Applicants state that “SoftBank (and thus Duncan) is not aware of any corporate affiliates that actively provide domestic interstate telecommunications service.” Id. at 12, n.7. Neither Duncan nor its affiliates receive high-cost support. Id. Duncan’s investment in DigitalBridge will be held indirectly through intermediate entities established for SoftBank’s investments in the United States that have no independent operations of their own. Id. at 14. The following Japanese entity and citizen of Japan hold a ten percent or greater interest in Softbank: The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (17.12% equity and voting interest); Masayoshi Son (29.95% voting interest, 29.95% equity interest). Id. at 4, Exh. A, Exh. B. Applicants state that no other individual shareholder holds a ten percent or greater interest in SoftBank. Id. at Exh. A. Applicants state that on December 29, 2025, DigitalBridge, its operating subsidiary, DigitalBridge Operating Company, LLC (DBOC), Duncan, Duncan Sub I Inc. (Merger Sub I), and Duncan Sub II LLC (Merger Sub II) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the Agreement) pursuant to which Duncan will indirectly acquire a controlling interest in DigitalBridge and DBOC, through two “coordinated reverse subsidiary mergers,” with each target entity surviving the applicable merger. Id. at 6. As a result of these mergers, each of DigitalBridge and DBOC will become indirect subsidiaries of SoftBank, with DBOC remaining a direct subsidiary of DigitalBridge. Id. Applicants state that, post-transaction, “DigitalBridge is expected to operate as a separately managed platform.” Id. Thus, after consummation of the proposed transaction, Licensees will remain indirectly and jointly owned by their current owners, DigitalBridge and Crestview (and their affiliates), but with Duncan, and ultimately SoftBank, holding DigitalBridge. Id. at 7. Applicants state that Crestview III and DBP III will retain their limited partnership equity interests in WOW Parent post-transaction. Id. at 6. Applicants assert that grant of the Application would serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. Id. at 12-15. We accept the Application for streamlined processing under section 63.03(b)(1)(ii) of the Commission’s rules. 47 CFR § 63.03(b)(1)(ii). 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 licensees that only have domestic section 214 authority and that, consistent with the decision in the Executive Branch Review Process Order, the Application does not require a referral to the Executive Branch. Application at 15-16. 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. Domestic Section 214 Application Filed for the Transfer of Control of WideOpenWest, Inc. and Other Certain Subsidiaries of DigitalBridge Group, Inc. to Duncan Holdco LLC, WC Docket No. 26-40 (filed Feb. 18, 2026). 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. Interested parties may file comments and reply comments on or before the dates indicated on the first page of this document. Pursuant to section 63.52 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR § 63.52, commenters must serve a copy of comments on the Applicants no later than the above comment filing date. Unless otherwise notified by the Commission, the Applicants may transfer control on the 31st day after the date of this notice. Pursuant to section 63.03 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR § 63.03, interested parties must file comments using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS): https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs. 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). 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; 2) Brenda Villanueva, Telecommunications Access Division, Office of International Affairs, brenda.villanueva@fcc.gov; and 3) 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 Dennis Johnson, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-0809. -FCC- 2