Federal Communications Commission DA 26-845 DA 26-845 Released: August 12, 2026 DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR THE TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF ARKANSAS TELEPHONE COMPANY, INC. TO SPECTRACOMM, INC. NON-STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED WC Docket No. 26-190 Comments Due: August 26, 2026 Reply Comments Due: September 2, 2026 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment from interested parties on an application filed by M. Todd Wood, acting in his capacity as the authorized shareholders’ representative of the shareholders of Arkansas Telephone Company, Inc. (Artelco Shareholders), Arkansas Telephone Company, Inc. (Artelco), and Spectracomm, Inc. (Spectracomm) (collectively, 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. requesting consent to transfer control of Artelco to Spectracomm. Domestic Section 214 Application for the Transfer of Control of Arkansas Telephone Company, Inc. to Spectracomm, Inc., WC Docket No. 26-190 (filed Aug. 10, 2026) (Application). Applicants also filed an application for the transfer of an authorization associated with international services. Any action on this Application is without prejudice to Commission action on other related applications. Artelco, an Arkansas corporation, is a rural incumbent local exchange carrier (LEC) providing telecommunications services in Van Buren, Clebrune, Stone, Searcy, Pope and Conway Counties in Arkansas. Application at 2-3. Artelco, a designated Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC), receives high-cost Universal Service Fund (USF) support through the Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) II program. Id. at 17. Artelco also participates in the Lifeline program and will continue to do so post-consummation of the transaction. Id. at 18. Spectracomm is an Arkansas holding company that does not provide telecommunications services. Id. at 3. Spectracomm wholly-owns Arkwest Communications, Inc. (Arkwest), an Arkansas corporation that operates an as incumbent LEC in the Arkansas Counties of Yell, Scott, and Perry. Id. Arkwest, a designated ETC, receives high-cost USF support through the Enhanced A-CAM program. Id. at 17. Spectracomm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fiber Acquisition Operations Arkansas, LLC, a Delaware holding company, that is majority-owned by Fiber Acquisitions Holdings, LLC dba PhireLink, a Delaware corporation that owns companies that provide high-speed fixed wireless and fiber-based broadband Internet services in Colorado, Kansas, and Louisiana. Id. at 4. Specifically, PhireLink owns Rebeltec Communications, LLC, which provides high-speed fixed wireless and fiber-based broadband Internet service to residential and business customers in Southeastern Colorado and Western Kansas. Id. PhireLink also owns Camellia City Fiber, LLC, which provides high-speed fiber-based broadband Internet services to residential and business customers in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana and Tammany Wireless Holdings, LLC, which provides high-speed fixed wireless broadband Internet services to residential and business customers in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Id. The ultimate owners of Spectracomm are three U.S. citizens: Benjamin A. Friedman (46% equity and voting), Glen F. Post III (28% equity and voting), and James Davison (16% equity and voting). Id. at Exh. A (Applicants’ Current Organizational Chart); see also id. at 9-12. Pursuant to the terms of the proposed transaction, Spectracomm will acquire all of the outstanding stock of Artelco, and full ownership and control of Artelco will be transferred to Spectracomm. Id. at 5. Applicants assert that a grant of the Application would serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. Id. at 13-14. Because this transaction is more complex than those accepted for streamlined treatment, in order to sufficiently analyze whether the proposed transaction would serve the public interest, we accept the Application for non-streamlined processing. 47 CFR § 63.03(c)(1)(v). Domestic Section 214 Application for the Transfer of Control of Arkansas Telephone Company, Inc. to Spectracomm, Inc., WC Docket No. 26-190 (Aug. 10, 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) Megan Danner, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, megan.danner@fcc.gov; 2) Audra Hale-Maddox, Telecommunications Access and Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, audra.hale-maddox@fcc.gov; 3) Brenda Villanueva, Telecommunications Access Division, Office of International Affairs, brenda.villanueva@fcc.gov; and 4) 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 Megan Danner, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at (202) 418-1151. -FCC- 2