Attachment Transfer Application

This document pretains to ITC-T/C-20121031-00277 for Transfer of Control on a International Telecommunications filing.

IBFS_ITCTC2012103100277_973326

 BI NG HAM

                       Jean L. Kiddoo
                       Danielle C. Burt
                       Direct Phone:     202—373—6000
                       Direct Fax:       202—373—6001
                       jean.kiddoo@bingham.com
                       danielle.buirt@bingham.com



                       October 31, 2012

                       VIA IBFS

                       Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary
                       Federal Communications Commission
                       International Bureau Applications
                       P.O. Box 979093
                       St. Louis, MO 63197—9000

                       Re:       In the Matter of the Joint Application For Grant of Authority Pursuant to
                                 Section 214 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, for Transfer
                                 Control of Authorized International Section 214 Carriers

                       Dear Ms. Dortch:

                       On behalf of First Communications, Inc. ("Transferor") and Summit Data Services, Inc.,
                       ("Transferee"), enclosed please find an application for approval to complete a transfer of
                       control of authorized international Section 214 license holders First Communications,
                       LLC, Globalcom, Inc. and Xtension Services, Inc. (collectively "Licensees"), and
                       together with the Transferor and Transferee ("Applicants").

                       Pursuant to Section 63.04(b) of the Commission‘s Rules, Applicants submit this filing as
                       a combined international section 214 and domestic 214 transfer of control application
                       ("Combined Application"). Applicants are simultaneously filing the Combined
                       Application with the Wireline Competition Bureau, in accordance with the Commission‘s
                       rules.
             Boston
           Hartford
                       This filing and the applicable credit card payment in the total amount of $3,150.00, which
         Hong Kong
             London
                       satisfies the filing fee required for this application under line 2.b of Section 1.1105 of the
        Los Angeles    Commission‘s Rules, are being submitted electronically through the MyIBFS.
           New York
     Orange County     Please direct any questions regarding this filing to the undersigned.
      San Francisco
      Santa Monica     Respectfully submitted,
      Silicon Valley         c        x   \


              Tokyo
        Washington


                       Jean L. Kiddoo
                       Danielle C. Burt
agham McCutchen LLP
    2020 K Street NW
                       Counsel for Applicants
     Washington, DC
        20006—1806


  I +1.202.373.6000
  F +1.202.373.6001
       bingham.com

                       A/75240552.1


                                     Before the
                       FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
                                Washington, DC 20554

                                                     )
In the Matter of the Joint Application of            )
                                                     )
First Communications, Inc.                           )
First Communications, LLC,                           )
Globalcom, Inc.,                                     )
Xtension Services, Inc.                              )
                                                     )      WC Docket No. 12-- - - - -
and                                                  )      IB File No. ITC-T/C-2012-- - -
                                                     )      IB File No. ITC-T/C-2012-- - -
Summit Data Services, Inc.                           )      IB File No. ITC-T/C-2012-_ _
                                                     )
For Grant of Authority Pursuant to                   )
Section 214 of the Communications Act of 1934,       )
as amended, and Sections 63.04 and 63.24 ofthe       )
Commission's Rules to Complete a                     )
Transfer of Control of Authorized Domestic and       )
International Section 214 Carriers                   )


                                     JOINT APPLICATION

          First Communications, Inc. ("FCI"), First Communications, LLC ("FCL"), Globalcom,

Inc. ("Globalcom"), Xtension Services, Inc. ("Xtension" and, together with FCL and Globalcom,

"Licensees"), and Summit Data Services, Inc. ("Summit" and, together with FCI and Licensees,

"Applicants"), through their undersigned counsel and pursuant to Section 214 of the

Communications Act, as amended, 47 U.S.C. § 214, and Sections 63.04 and 63.24 of the

Commission's Rules, request approval for the transfer of control of Licensees to Summit, a

company newly formed for the purposes of completing the transaction by current and former

management ofFCI and Licensees ("Transaction").

          The Transaction will result in a change in the ownership and control of the Licensees.

The Transaction will not result in any assignment of authorizations, assets or customers. Upon


                                                 1
A/75230220.5


completion of the Transaction, Licensees will continue to provide service to their existing

customers pursuant to their authorizations under the same rates, terms and conditions.

Accordingly, the Transaction will be transparent to the customers of Licensees.

         In support of this Application, Applicants provide the following information.

I.       REQUEST FOR STREAMLINED PROCESSING

         Applicants respectfully submit that this Application is eligible for streamlined processing

pursuant to Sections 63.03 and 63.12 ofthe Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 63.03 and 63.12.

With respect to the domestic Section 214 authority held by Licensees, this Application is eligible

for streamlined processing pursuant to Section 63.03(b)(2)(i) because, immediately following the

transactions, (1) Applicants and their affiliates, as defined in Section 3(1) of the Communications

Act ("Affiliates") together will hold less than a ten percent (10%) share of the interstate,

interexchange market; (2) Applicants and their Affiliates will provide local exchange service

only in areas served by dominant local exchange carriers (none of whom is a party to the

proposed transaction); and (3) none of the Applicants or their Affiliates is dominant with respect

to any service.

         With respect to the international authority held by Licensees, this Application is eligible

for streamlined processing pursuant to Section 63.12(a)-(b). Summit qualifies for streamlined

treatment under Section 63 .12(c) because it is not a foreign carrier itself and is not affiliated with

any foreign carrier and none of the scenarios outlined in Section 63.12(c) apply.

II.      DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICANTS

         A.       First Communications, Inc. and Licensees

         FCI is a Delaware corporation located at 3340 West Market Street, Akron, Ohio 44333.

FCI is a holding company that operates through three distinct subsidiary groups: (1) a business



                                                   2
N75230220.5


services group of carriers comprised of Licensees that offers data and switched voices services in

49 states; (2) First Telecom Services, LLC ("FTS"), an entity that offers high capacity metro and

long-haul fiber optic network facilities and services across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states;

and (3) First Summit Services, LLC, a business services and call center outsource business.

Only the Licensees are affected by the instant Transaction. 1

          FCI does not directly hold any domestic or international Section 214 authority.           Its

Licensee subsidiaries offer telecommunications services pursuant to their respective FCC

authorizations:

          First Communications, LLC is an Ohio limited liability company authorized to provide
          local, private line, and/or long distance services to both business and residential
          customers in 49 states. FCL holds international Section 214 authority (ITC-214-
          19951215-00030) granted in File No. ITC-ASG-20011001-00509 and holds blanket
          domestic Section 214 authority.

          Globalcom, Inc. is an Illinois corporation that provides voice and data services primarily
          to small and medium sized business customers. Globalcom holds international Section
          214 authority granted in File No. ITC-214-19960718-00323 (previous File No. ITC-96-
          406) and holds blanket domestic Section 214 authority.

          Xtension Services, Inc. is a Delaware corporation authorized to provide long distance
          telecommunications services in 13 states and resold local exchange services in New
          Jersey. Xtension holds international Section 214 authority granted in File No. ITC-214-
          20010305-00116 and holds blanket domestic Section 214 authority.

          B.      Summit Data Services, Inc.

          Summit is a newly formed Ohio corporation formed for the purposes of this Transaction

with offices located at 3421 Ridgewood Road, Suite 125, Akron, Ohio 44333. Summit's owners

are Joseph R. Morris, Mark Sollenberger, and Sandi R. Murphy. Mr. Morris was an officer of

FCI since 1998, most recently serving as the President ofFCI and Licensees until June 30, 2012.


      FCI has separately sought Commission approval to transfer control of FTS to Zayo Group,
      LLC. That application is currently pending in Docket No. 12-315 and File No. ITC-T/C-
      INTR20 12-02472.


                                                   3
A/75230220.5


Mr. Sollenberger is the Chief Financial Officer of FCI and Licensees, and Ms. Murphy is the

Senior Vice President and General Counsel ofFCI and Licensees.

          Summit has the managerial and technical qualifications to acquire control of Licensees.

In addition to the management experience of Summit's owners, other well-qualified management

and operations personnel of Licensees will remain with the companies following consummation

of the Transaction, thereby assuring continuity of existing operations.

III.      DESCRIPTION OF THE TRANSACTION

          Summit will acquire control of Licensees by acquiring from FCI 100 percent of the

membership interests of FCL, 100 percent of the shares of Xtension, and 100 percent of the

shares of First Global Telecom, Inc., the direct parent of Globalcom, for a cash purchase price of

$30 million and assumption of certain liabilities. As a result, Licensees will become wholly-

owned subsidiaries of Summit. For the Commission's convenience, pre- and post-transaction

illustrative charts are provided as Exhibit A.

          Immediately following consummation of the Transaction, Licensees will be owned by

Summit but otherwise the Transaction will be seamless and virtually transparent to customers of

Licensees. Licensees will continue to offer service with no immediate change in the name of the

companies, or their rates or terms and conditions of service.

IV.       PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

          Applicants submit that the Transaction described herein will serve the public interest.

Licensees will continue to provide competitive and innovative products and services following

the Transaction. There will be no adverse effect on competition as no existing or potential

competitors will be eliminated as a result of the Transaction. Instead, Licensees will continue to

provide service to their customers, furthering the Commission's policies favoring competition

and diversity of services.

                                                 4
A/75230220.5


           The Transaction will be conducted in a manner that will be transparent to customers of the

Licensees. As noted above, Licensees' management will continue to be actively involved in

ongoing management and operations. The transfer of control of the Licensees will not result in a

change of carrier for customers or any assignment of authorizations. In addition, the Licensees will

continue to provide high-quality communications services to their customers without interruption

and without immediate change in rates, terms or conditions. Accordingly, the Transaction will be

virtually transparent to customers, and in no event will it result in the discontinuance, reduction,

loss, or impairment of service to customers.

V.        INFORMATION REQUIRED BY SECTION 63.24(e)

          Pursuant to Section 63.24(e)(3) of the Commission's Rules, the Applicants submit the

following information requested in Section 63.18 (a)-(d) and (h)-(p) in support of this

Application:

          (a)     Name, address and telephone number of each Applicant:

          Transferor:

                  First Communications, Inc.                   FRN: 0015806979
                  3340 West Market Street
                  Akron, Ohio 44333
                  (330) 835-2323

          Transferee:

                  Summit Data Services, Inc.                   FRN: 0022151625
                  3421 Ridgewood Road, Suite 125
                  Akron, Ohio 44333
                  (330) 835-2664




                                                   5
A/75230220.5


          Licensees:

                   First Communications, LLC                    FRN:0003764487
                   Globalcom, Inc.                              FRN:0004325320
                   Xtension Services, Inc.                      FRN:0004289658
                   3340 West Market Street
                   Akron, Ohio 44333
                   (330) 835-2323

          (b)      Jurisdiction of Organizations:

               Transferor: FCI is a corporation formed under the laws of Delaware.

               Transferee: Summit is a corporation formed under the laws of Ohio.

               Licensees: FCL is a limited liability company organized under the laws of Ohio.

                           Globalcom is a corporation formed under the laws of Illinois.

                           Xtension is a corporation formed under the laws of Delaware.

          (c)      (Answer to Question 10) Correspondence concerning this Application should
                   be sent to:
      Jean L. Kiddoo                                      With copies to :
      Danielle C. Burt
                                                          Sandi R. Murphy
      BINGHAM MCCUTCHEN LLP
                                                          SVP and General Counsel
      2020 K Street, N.W.
                                                          FIRST COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
      Washington, DC 20006
                                                          3340 West Market Street
      (202) 373-6000 (Tel)
                                                          Akron, OH 44333
      (202) 373-6001 (Fax)
                                                          (330) 835-2664
      jean.kiddoo@bingham.com
                                                          smurphy@firstcomm.com
      danielle.burt@bingham.com

          (d)      Section 214 Authorizations

          Licensees:

                   FCL holds international Section 214 authority (ITC-214-19951215-00030)
                   granted in File No. ITC-ASG-20011001-00509 and holds blanket domestic
                   Section 214 authority.

                   Globalcom holds international Section 214 authority granted in File No. ITC-214-
                   19960718-00323 (previous File No. ITC-96-406) and holds blanket domestic
                   Section 214 authority.

                   Xtension holds international Section 214 authority granted in File No. ITC-214-
                   0010305-00116 and holds blanket domestic Section 214 authority.


                                                    6
A/75230220.5


          Transferor:     FCI does not hold international or domestic Section 214 authority. In
                          addition to Licensees, its subsidiary FTS holds international Section 214
                          authority granted in File No. ITC-214-20100827-00347 and holds blanket
                          domestic Section 214 authority.

          Transferee:     Summit does not hold international or domestic Section 214 authority.

           (h)     (Answer to Questions 11 & 12) The following entities hold, directly or indirectly,
                   a 10% or greater interest in Applicants as calculated pursuant to the Commission
                   ownership attribution rules for wireline and international telecommunications
                   carriers: 2

               Pre- Transaction Ownership o(FCI:

               The following entities own a ten percent or greater equity interest, or controlling
               interest, in First Communications, Inc.:

                   (a)    Name:                  Marbel Investments, LLC ("Marbel")
                          Address:               612 Market Ave., South
                                                 Canton, OH 44702
                          Citizenship:           u.s.
                          Percentage Owned:      19.3%
                          Principal Business:    Investment

                   No person or entity holds a 10% or greater indirect ownership interest in FCI
                   through Marbel.

                   (b)    Name:                  FirstEnergy Corp. ("FirstEnergy")
                          Address:               76 S. Main Street, Suite 1600
                                                 Akron, OR 44308
                          Citizenship:           U.S.
                          Percentage Owned:      24.7%
                          Principal Business:    Energy

                   FirstEnergy is a publicly traded company and no person or entity holds a 10% or
                   greater indirect ownership interest in FCI through FirstEnergy.




2
        While the Commission's rules for combined domestic and international applications
require this information only for the assignee/transferee, see 47 C.F.R. §§ 63.04(b), 63.24(e)(2),
Applicants are providing ownership information for all parties.

                                                    7
A/75230220.5


                 Pre- and Post-Transaction Ownership o(Transteree:

                 The following individual owns a ten percent or greater equity interest, or controlling
                 interest, in Summit Data Services, Inc.:

                     Name:                  Joseph R. Morris
                     Address:               3421 Ridgewood Road
                                            Akron, OH 44333
                     Citizenship:           u.s.
                     Ownership:             90%
                     Principal Business:    Individual

                     To the best of Applicants' knowledge, there are no officers or directors of
                     Applicants who also serve as an officer of director of a foreign carrier as
                     defined in Section 63.09(d).

           (i)       (Answer to Question 14) The Applicants certify that following consummation of
                     the Transaction: (i) Transferee will not be a foreign carrier within the meaning of
                     Section 63.09(d) of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. § 63.09(d); and (ii)
                     Transferee will not become affiliated with a foreign carrier.

           (j)       (Answer to Question 15) The Applicants certify that upon consummation of the
                     transaction, they do not seek to provide international telecommunications services
                     to any destination country where:

                     (1)     An Applicant is a foreign carrier in that country; or
                     (2)     An Applicant controls a foreign carrier in that country; or
                     (3)     Any entity that owns more than 25 percent of an Applicant, or that
                             controls an Applicant, controls a foreign carrier in that country; or
                     (4)     Two or more foreign carriers (or parties that control foreign carriers) own,
                             in the aggregate more than 25 percent of an Applicant and are parties to,
                             or the beneficiaries of, a contractual relation affecting the provision or
                             marketing of international basic telecommunications services in the United
                             States.

           (k)       Not applicable.

           (1)       Not applicable.

           (m)       Not applicable.

           (n)       Applicants certify that they have not agreed to accept special concessions directly
                     or indirectly from any foreign carrier with respect to any U.S. international route
                     where the foreign carrier possesses market power on the foreign end of the route
                     and will not enter into such agreements in the future.




                                                         8
A/75230220.5


           (o)   Applicants certify that they are not subject to denial of federal benefits pursuant to
                 Section 5301 of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. See 21 U.S.C. § 853a; see
                 also 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.2001-1.2003.

          (p)    Applicants respectfully submit that this Application is eligible for streamlined
                 processing pursuant to Section 63.12(a)-(b) of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R.
                 §63.12(a)-(b). In particular, Section 63.12(c) is inapplicable because Transferee is
                 not a foreign carrier and is not affiliated with any foreign carrier and none of the
                 scenarios outlined in Section 63.12(c) of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. §
                 63.12(c), apply.

VI.       INFORMATION REQUIRED BY SECTION 63.04

          Pursuant to Commission Rule 63.04(b), 47 C.F.R. § 63.04(b), Applicants submit the

following information in support of their request for domestic Section 214 authority in order to

address the requirements set forth in Commission Rule 63.04(a)(6)-(12):

          (a)(6) A description of the proposed transaction is set forth in Section III above.

          (a)(7) FCL is authorized to provide telecommunications services in Alabama, Arizona,
                 Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,
                 Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
                 Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,
                 Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
                 Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon,
                 Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,
                 Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
                 In these states, FCL is authorized to provide competitive local and/or long
                 distance telecommunications services. All of the services provided by FCL are
                 competitive in nature and neither FCL nor any affiliated company holds a
                 dominant position in any market.

                 Globalcom is authorized to provide telecommunications services in Arizona,
                 Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
                 Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New
                 Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,
                 Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin,
                 and Wyoming. All of the services provided by Globalcom are competitive in
                 nature and neither Globalcom nor any affiliated company holds a dominant
                 position in any market.

                 Xtension is authorized to provide telecommunications services in California,
                 Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New
                 York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. In
                 these states, Xtension is authorized to provide competitive local and/or long

                                                   9
A/75230220.5


                  distance telecommunications services. All of the services provided by Xtension
                  are competitive in nature and neither Xtension nor any affiliated company holds a
                  dominant position in any market.

           (a)(8) Applicants respectfully submit that this Application is eligible for streamlined
                  processing pursuant to Section 63.03(b)(2)(i) because, immediately following the
                  transaction, Transferee (and its Affiliates) will have a market share in the interstate,
                  interexchange market of less than 10 percent, and the Transferee (and its Affiliates)
                  will provide competitive telephone exchange services or exchange access services (if
                  at all) exclusively in geographic areas served by a dominant local exchange carrier
                  that is not a party to the transaction, and none of the Applicants (or their Affiliates)
                  are dominant with respect to any service.

          (a)(9) By this Application, Applicants seek authority with respect to both international
                 and domestic Section 214 authorizations (this Application is being separately and
                 concurrently filed with respect to both types of authorities in compliance with
                 Commission Rule 63.04(b), 47 C.P.R. § 63.04(b)). An application will also be
                 filed with the Commission to seek authority with respect to radio authorizations
                 held by FCL.

          (a)(lO) Prompt completion of the proposed transaction is important to ensure that
                  Applicants can obtain the benefits described in the foregoing application.
                  Accordingly, Applicants respectfully request that the Commission approve this
                  Application expeditiously in order to allow Applicants to consummate the proposed
                  transaction as soon as possible.

          (a)(ll) Not applicable.

          (a)(l2) A statement showing how grant of the application will serve the public interest,
                  convenience and necessity is provided in Section IV above.




                                                     10
A/75230220.5


Vll.      CONCLUSION

          For the reasons stated above, Applicants respectfully submit that the public interest,

COI;lvenience, and necessity would be furthered by a grant of this Application for the transfer of

control of Applicants.

                                                     Respectfully submitted,




                                                     Jean L. Kiddoo
                                                     Danielle C. Burt
                                                     BINGHAM MCCUTCHEN LLP
                                                     2020 K Street, N.W.
                                                     Washington, DC 20006-1806
                                                     (202) 373-6000 (Tel)
                                                     (202) 373-6001 (Fax)
                                                     jean.kiddoo@bingham.com
                                                     danielle. burt@bingham.com

                                                     Counsel for Applicants

Dated: October31, 2012




                                                11
A/75230220.5


                              EXHIBIT A

              Illustrative Pre- and Post-Transaction Charts




N75230220.5


                     Pre-Transaction Illustrative Chart



       Marbellnvestments, LLC

             19.3%                                      27.4%




                         First Communications, Inc.



      100%
                                                                    100%
First Communications,       Xtension Services,        First Global Telecom, Inc.
         LLC                       Inc.
                                                                     100%

                                                           Globalcom, Inc.


                Post-Transaction Illustrative Chart



    Joseph R. Morris        Mark Sollenberger

         90%                   5%                            5%




                        Summit Data Services, Inc.



      100%
                                                                   100%
First Communications,       Xtension Services,       First Global Telecom, Inc.
         LLC                       Inc.
                                                                    100%

                                                          Globalcom, Inc.


                                          VERIFICATION
          I, Sandi R. Murphy, state that I am Senior Vice President and General Counsel for First
Communications, Inc. and its operating companies ("FCI"); that I am authorized to make this
Verification on behalf of FCI; that the foregoing application as it pertains to FCI is true and
accurate to the best of my knowledge, information and belief; and that FCI is not subject to a
denial of Federal benefits pursuant to Section 5301 of the Anti—Drug Abuse Act of 1988, 21
U.S.C. § §53(a), as amended.

          I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and accurate. Executed this
[ day of October, 2012.



                                                %dl R. Murphy
                                                Senior Vice President and Gener
                                                                              ounsel




A/15230220.3


                                           VERIFICATION


           I, Joseph R. Morris, state that I am authorized to make this Verification on behalf of
Summit Data Services, Inc. ("Summit"); that the foregoing application as it pertains to Summit is
true and accurate to the best ofmy knowledge, information and belief; and that Summit is not
subject to a denial of Federal benefits pursuant to Section 5301 of the Anti—Drug Abuse Act of
1988, 21 U.S.C. § 853(a), as amended.

           I declare under penalty ofperjury that the foregoing is true and accurate. Executed this
31st day of October, 2012.




                                                 Joseph 0. Mgrris    _\           |




                                                                                                      en a n s es on opge on ce >




AlM$230220.4



Document Created: 2012-10-31 17:34:40
Document Modified: 2012-10-31 17:34:40

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