Federal Communications Commission DA 26-93 DA 26-93 Released: January 28, 2026 DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR THE ACQUISITION OF CERTAIN ASSETS OF DELTA COMMUNICATIONS, L.L.C. D/B/A CLEARWAVE FIBER BY METRO CW HOLDINGS, LLC NON-STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED WC Docket No. 25-323 Comments Due: February 11, 2026 Reply Comments Due: February 18, 2026 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment from interested parties on an application filed by Delta Communications, L.L.C. d/b/a Clearwave Fiber (Clearwave) MCC Network Services, LLC (MCC) and Metro CW Holdings, LLC (Metro CW) (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 Commission approval to transfer certain assets of Clearwave to Metro CW. Domestic Section 214 Application for the Acquisition of Certain Assets of Delta Communications, L.L.C. d/b/a Clearwave Fiber, by MCC Network Services, LLC and Metro CW Holdings, LLC, WC Docket No. 25-323 (filed Nov. 14, 2025) (Application). Applicants filed a supplement to their Application on December 12, 2025. Letter from Matthew A. Brill et al., Counsel for Clearwave, and Patricia Cave et al., Counsel for MCC and Metro CW, to Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary, FCC, WC Docket No. 25-323 (filed Dec. 12, 2025) (Supplement). Clearwave is an applicant in another pending domestic 214 transfer of control application. See Application for the Transfer of Control of Clearwave Fiber LLC to Point Broadband Holdings, LLC, WC Docket No. 26-14 (filed on Jan. 16, 2026). Any action on the application that is the subject of this Public Notice is without prejudice to Commission action on other related, pending applications. Clearwave, an Illinois limited liability company, provides communications services and other services as a competitive local exchange carrier (LEC) in Illinois and Missouri. Application at 2. Applicants state that Clearwave is designated as an eligible telecommunications carrier (ETC) in Illinois and “complies with the Lifeline program requirements for ETCs, but it does not have any Lifeline customers and does not receive any Lifeline program funding.” Id. at 14; Supplement at 2. Applicants further state that Clearwave previously participated in the Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE) program. Supplement at 2. Applicants maintain that some of Clearwave’s assets that are part of the proposed transaction were supported by the RBE program, and Clearwave acknowledges that it will remain subject to any compliance obligations under the RBE program that remain following the expiration of Clearwave’s support term under the program. Supplement at 2. Applicants further state that Clearwave is affiliated with multiple other service providers that are not part of the proposed transaction. Application at 3, 11-12. Clearwave is indirectly wholly-owned by Clearwave Fiber LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is a joint venture controlled by its Board of Managers that is majority owned by Cable One, Inc., a publicly traded Delaware corporation. Id. at 2-3. Metro CW, a Delaware limited liability company, is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of MCC, an Illinois limited liability company. Id. at 3. MCC provides telecommunications services and operates a fiber network in Central Illinois and manages a fiber optic network across Illinois and into Indiana and Missouri. Id. MCC also owns the following service providers: MTCO Communications, Inc., a competitive LEC in Central Illinois; Metamora Telephone Company (Metamora), an incumbent LEC serving the Metamora and Germantown Hills exchanges in Central Illinois; and The Marseilles Telephone Company of Marseilles, Illinois (Marseilles), an incumbent LEC serving the Marseilles exchange in Central Illinois. Id. at 12; Supplement at 1. Applicants state that Metamora and Marseilles are designated as ETCs in Illinois and receive High-Cost Loop Support, CAF Broadband Loop Support (CAF-BLS) and Intercarrier Compensations (ICC) Support and participate in the Lifeline program. Application at 14-15. MCC is owned (97.5% equity interest and 100% voting interest) by Zachary Horn, a U.S. citizen. Application at 10. Pursuant to the terms of the proposed transaction, Metro CW would acquire certain network assets that cover approximately 4,000 route miles, certain customers, and other assets of Clearwave in Illinois and in and around St. Louis, Missouri, and assume certain related liabilities. Id. at 4; Supplement at 1. Applicants further state that, post-transaction, the network assets formerly held by Clearwave might be shifted from Metro CW to an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Metro CW, Metro Communications Asset Entity, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. Application at 4, n.3. Applicants assert that a grant of the Application would serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. Id. at 4-7. Applicants state that the network assets Clearwave would transfer to Metro CW are “complementary to MCC’s existing network footprint, and the minimal overlap between the Clearwave assets and MCC’s existing network is limited to discrete segments of the MCC network in Southern Illinois.” Supplement at 1. 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 Application Filed for the Acquisition of Certain Assets of Delta Communications, L.L.C. d/b/a Clearwave Fiber by Metro CW Holdings, LLC, WC Docket No. 25-323 (filed Nov. 14, 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) 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 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 or dennis.johnson@fcc.gov. -FCC- 2