STATEMENT OF 
COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS, 
APPROVING IN PART AND DISSENTING IN PART
Re:  Applications of ALLTEL Corporation, Transferor, and Atlantis Holdings LLC, 
Transferee for Consent to Transfer Control of Licenses, Leases and 
Authorizations, WT Docket No. 07-128; Memorandum Opinion and Order 
(October 26, 2007)
 I vote to approve today’s transfer of control. While I cannot be pleased at the 
current levels of concentration in the wireless industry, I do not see that this transaction 
makes the situation any worse. I do, however, renew my plea (from my statement on the 
Univision transaction in March of this year) that the agency conduct a general rulemaking 
to assess the public interest consequences of private equity firms holding Commission 
licenses. 
 I dissent, however, to the portion of the order that  imposes a cap on the high-cost 
universal service support the company receives as a competitive eligible 
telecommunications carrier (CETC). As I explained in my dissent to the Joint Board’s 
recommendation (in May of this year) for a general CETC cap, piecemeal Universal 
Service Fund (USF) reform is actually counter-productive to the far more important goal 
of rationally implementing comprehensive reform. The condition being imposed in 
today’s merger is even more piecemeal than what the Joint Board recommended in 
May—I fear that  the condition will be an even greater hindrance to rational, 
comprehensive USF reform.  Additionally, it is disappointing to me that the 
Commission imposes this condition when the Joint Board currently is working hard to 
provide the Commission a recommendation on broader reform.