STATEMENT OF 
COMMISSIONER DEBORAH TAYLOR TATE
Re:  Applications of Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless and Atlantis Holdings 
LLC for Consent to Transfer Control of Licenses, Authorizations, and Spectrum Manager 
and De Facto Transfer Leasing Arrangements, and Petition for Declaratory Ruling that 
the Transaction is Consistent with Section 310(b)(4) of the Communications Act.
Like most mergers of established industry players, the merger of Verizon Wireless 
and Alltel raises important public policy issues.  First, there are the potential risks of 
anticompetitive harm if the merged entity gains substantial market power.  On the other 
hand, potential benefits to consumers may accrue.  These potential costs and benefits 
must be seriously evaluated.  In this instance, both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and 
the Commission have determined that the transaction is in the public interest, subject to 
certain conditions, to which the parties have agreed.
The conditions applied to this merger are especially important to ensure competition 
and, ultimately, to protect consumers.  First, as a result of its negotiations with DOJ, the 
merged firm will divest spectrum in 100 cellular markets where Verizon Wireless and 
Alltel have a significant amount of spectrum overlap.  In reviewing this transaction, the 
Commission agreed that such a divestiture was necessary, and it further determined that 
divestiture also was appropriate in an additional five markets, including one market in 
Johnson County, Tennessee.  All of this divested spectrum will be made available to 
existing and potential service providers in these markets, thus helping to ensure 
competition. 
In addition, this order establishes specific requirements related to roaming services 
the merged entity will provide. Most notably, Verizon Wireless will honor the existing 
roaming agreements – whether contracted with them or Alltel – for four years.  A number 
of parties, especially mid-sized, small and rural providers, expressed concern that there 
are too few roaming providers utilizing CDMA technology, and that the proposed merger 
would even further reduce this number.  By maintaining roaming agreements for this 
longer period of time, it is more likely that Long Term Evolution (LTE) will be available 
from other providers – including AT&T, which does not offer CDMA service – when 
many of these roaming contracts expire.  This will help ensure more competition in the 
provision of roaming service at that time.   
Finally, this transaction offers real, merger-specific consumer benefits that should not 
be ignored.  Current customers of Alltel may now enjoy many services that already are 
available to Verizon Wireless customers.  Thus, given that Alltel serves rural areas that 
are not currently served by Verizon Wireless, the merger will make it possible for more 
rural Americans to join the Verizon Wireless nationwide network, along with its faster 
deployment of advanced services such as broadband.  The combined entity also will have 
a larger geographic footprint, which will benefit all of its subscribers.  At a time when 
current economic conditions make it difficult to expand, upgrade, or even make a normal 
investment in expensive communications networks, a transaction that would result in an 
expanded footprint and upgraded services, especially in rural America, may provide some 
real public benefits.  
Given these reasonable merger conditions and likely pro-consumer benefits, I join my 
colleagues in approving this item.  I thank the staff of the Wireless Bureau for their many 
hours of hard work in evaluating this transaction and for their commitment to ensuring a 
pro-competitive telecommunications marketplace for years to come.