Federal Communications Commission DA 07-1557 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) Applications of WWC Holding Co., Inc. and RCC ) File No. 0002849067 Minnesota, Inc. ) ) For Consent to Assignment of Licenses ) MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Adopted: March 30, 2007 Released: March 30, 2007 By the Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau: I. INTRODUCTION 1. We have before us an application filed by WWC Holding Co., Inc. (“WWC”), a wholly- owned indirect subsidiary of ALLTEL Corporation (“ALLTEL”), and RCC Minnesota, Inc. (“RCCM”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rural Cellular Corporation (“RCC”) (collectively, the “Applicants”), seeking Commission consent to the assignment of four cellular licenses, one broadband Personal Communications Services (“PCS”) license, 26 fixed point-to-point microwave licenses and two microwave industrial/business pool licenses (the “Application”).1 As discussed fully below, pursuant to our review under section 310(d) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”),2 we conclude that approval of the Application will serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity and we deny the Petition To Condition Approval or To Deny filed by Hickory Tech Corporation (“Hickory Tech”).3 II. BACKGROUND A. Description of Applicants 2. ALLTEL is a publicly-traded Delaware corporation, headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.4 It provides wireless telecommunications services through its licensee subsidiaries, including ALLTEL Communications, Inc. (“ACI”) and WWC.5 ALLTEL provides wireless communications 1 Universal Licensing System (“ULS”) File No. 0002849067. The application was filed on December 20, 2006. 2 47 U.S.C. § 310(d). 3 Petition to Condition Approval or To Deny, filed by Hickory Tech Corporation (Jan. 31, 2007) (“Petition”). 4 ALLTEL Corporation, Form 10-K, at 1 (Feb. 20, 2007) (“ALLTEL Form 10-K”) (reporting on the year ending December 31, 2006). 5 ALLTEL acquired Western Wireless Corporation (“Western Wireless”) on August 1, 2005. See Applications of Western Wireless Corporation and ALLTEL Corporation, WT Docket No. 05-50, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 20 FCC Rcd 13053 (2005) (“ALLTEL-Western Wireless Order”); Notification of Consummation, File No. 0002273314, filed Aug. 11, 2005 (notifying the Commission that the ALLTEL-Western Wireless transaction closed on August 1, 2005); ALLTEL Corporation, Annual Review 2005, at 2 (Jan. 31, 2006) (“ALLTEL Annual (continued….) Federal Communications Commission DA 07-1557 services to approximately 12 million wireless customers in 36 states.6 ALLTEL also sells messaging packages that allow customers to send and receive any combination of text, picture, or video messages for a flat-rate monthly price.7 ALLTEL uses Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) technology, including 1XRTT and EV-DO, to serve its customers.8 ALLTEL has entered into roaming agreements with other wireless carriers that allow ALLTEL to provide its customers a nationwide wireless services footprint.9 3. RCC is a publicly-traded Minnesota corporation, headquartered in Alexandria, Minnesota.10 It provides mobile telephony services in portions of five states in the Northeast, three states in the Northwest, four states in the Midwest, three states in the South, and the western half of Kansas under the Unicel© brand name.11 RCC’s networks cover a population of approximately 6.6 million and RCC provides service to approximately 706,000 voice customers.12 RCC uses CDMA and 1XRTT technology in its Midwest territory and Global System for Mobile Communications, General Packet Radio Services, and Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution technologies in its Kansas, Northeast, Northwest, and Southern territories.13 B. Description of Transaction 4. On December 2, 2005, ALLTEL and Midwest Wireless Holdings, L.L.C. (“Midwest Wireless”) filed four applications seeking consent to the transfer of control of licenses held by subsidiaries of Midwest Wireless to ACI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ALLTEL.14 The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) reviewed the proposed merger between ALLTEL and Midwest Wireless, (Continued from previous page) Report”), available at http://library.corporate-ir.net/library/74/741/74159/items/189112/05alltelannual.pdf (last visited Mar. 7, 2007). 6 ALLTEL Form 10-K at 2. 7 ALLTEL Annual Report at 5. 8 ALLTEL Form 10-K at 2. 9 Id. at 5; see also ALLTEL signs 10-year nationwide roaming agreement with Sprint, News Release (May 9, 2006), available at http://www.alltel.com/corporate/media/news/06/may/n411may0906a.html (last visited Mar. 7, 2007). 10 Rural Cellular Corp, Form 10-K, at 1 (Mar. 5, 2007) (“RCC Form 10-K”) (reporting on the year ending December 31, 2006). 11 Id. at 4, 10. 12 Id. at 4. 13 Id. at 4, 8, 10. 14 See Application to Transfer Control of Licenses Held by Midwest Wireless Communications L.L.C. to ALLTEL Communications, Inc., File No. 0002391997 (filed Dec. 2, 2005); Application to Transfer Control of Licenses Held by Midwest Wireless Iowa L.L.C. to ALLTEL Communications, Inc., File No. 0002395311 (filed Dec. 2, 2005); Application to Transfer Control of Licenses Held by Midwest Wireless Wisconsin L.L.C. to ALLTEL Communications, Inc., File No. 0002395362 (filed Dec. 2, 2005); Application to Transfer Control of Licenses Held by Switch 2000 L.L.C. to ALLTEL Communications, Inc., File No. 0002395398 (filed Dec. 2, 2005). ACI is also the parent of WWC. 2 Federal Communications Commission DA 07-1557 and concluded that the proposed merger was likely to result in competitive harm in certain markets.15 The DOJ and the State of Minnesota filed a Preservation of Assets Stipulation and a Preservation of Assets Order with the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (“District Court”) on September 7, 2006,16 and the parties jointly filed a proposed Final Judgment with the District Court.17 On October 2, 2006, the Commission found that the ALLTEL-Midwest Wireless transaction was generally in the public interest, except that in four geographic markets the proposed transaction would be likely to cause significant competitive harm.18 The Commission, the DOJ, and the State of Minnesota conditioned their approval of the ALLTEL-Midwest Wireless transaction on the divestiture of business units in four markets.19 The Commission also conditioned its approval of the transaction on the divestiture of 10 MHz of PCS spectrum in Lac qui Parle County (“10 MHz PCS Divestiture”).20 5. On December 13, 2006, ACI and RCC entered into a Purchase Agreement pursuant to which RCC will acquire all of the Divestiture Assets.21 Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, WWC will establish a limited liability company (“Newco”), to which it will contribute its right, title, and interest in the Divestiture Assets, excluding the wireless spectrum licenses, shortly before closing.22 At closing, RCC will 15 See generally United States and State of Minnesota v. ALLTEL Corporation and Midwest Wireless Holdings LLC, Competitive Impact Statement, Case No. 06-cv-03631-RHK-AJB, at 3 (filed Sept. 7, 2006) (“DOJ Competitive Impact Statement”). All DOJ filings regarding this matter are available at http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/alltel2.htm. 16 United States v. ALLTEL Corporation and Midwest Wireless Holdings LLC, Preservation of Assets Stipulation and Order, Case No. 06-cv-03631-RHK-AJB (entered Sept. 8, 2006) (“DOJ Stipulation”); United States v. ALLTEL Corporation and Midwest Wireless Holdings LLC, Preservation of Assets Order, Case No. 06-cv- 03631-RHK-AJB (entered Sept. 8, 2006) (“DOJ Preservation Order”). 17 United States v. ALLTEL Corporation and Midwest Wireless Holdings LLC, Proposed Final Judgment, Case No. 06-cv-03631-RHK-AJB (filed Sept. 7, 2006) (“DOJ Proposed Final Judgment”). 18 Applications of Midwest Wireless Holdings, L.L.C. and ALLTEL Communications, Inc., WT Docket No. 05- 339, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 21 FCC Rcd 11526, 11560, 11569-70 ¶¶ 92-93, 122 (2006) (“ALLTEL- Midwest Wireless Order”). 19 The four markets are Cellular Market Area (“CMA”) 488 Minnesota 7-Chippewa, CMA489 Minnesota 8-Lac qui Parle, CMA490 Minnesota 9-Pipestone, and CMA491 Minnesota 10-Le Sueur (“Minnesota Markets”). ALLTEL-Midwest Wireless Order, 21 FCC Rcd at 11569-70 ¶ 122; DOJ Proposed Final Judgment at 3-6; see also DOJ Competitive Impact Statement at 13-19. 20 ALLTEL-Midwest Wireless Order, 21 FCC Rcd at 11569-70 ¶ 122. To accomplish the divestiture, a Management Trustee was appointed to serve as manager of the Minnesota Markets and the 10 MHz PCS Divestiture (the “Divestiture Assets”) until these assets are sold to third party purchasers or transferred to a Divestiture Trustee (who may be the same person as the Management Trustee). ALLTEL-Midwest Wireless Order, 21 FCC Rcd at 11570 ¶ 123. During the period in which the Management Trustee is in day-to-day control of the Divestiture Assets, ALLTEL retains de jure control and has the sole power to market and dispose of the Divestiture Assets to third-party buyers, subject to the Commission’s regulatory powers and process with respect to license transfers and assignments and the terms of the agreements contained in the DOJ Stipulation, DOJ Preservation Order, and DOJ Final Judgment. ALLTEL-Midwest Wireless Order, 21 FCC Rcd at 11570 ¶ 123; DOJ Stipulation at 8-13, 16-17; DOJ Preservation Order at 9-13; DOJ Proposed Final Judgment at 1-2, 7-8. 21 Application, Exhibit 1 at 2. 22 Id. 3 Federal Communications Commission DA 07-1557 purchase WWC’s right, title, and interest in Newco and then merge Newco into RCC.23 Also at closing, WWC will separately assign to RCCM the wireless spectrum licenses set forth in the Application.24 C. Application Review Process 6. The Application appeared on public notice, which announced a fourteen-day comment period, on January 17, 2007.25 Hickory Tech filed its Petition To Condition Approval or To Deny the Application on January 31, 2007.26 On February 13, 2007, ALLTEL filed an Opposition and Motion to Strike,27 and RCC and RCM jointly filed an Opposition to the Petition.28 Hickory Tech filed a Reply on February 27, 2007.29 III.