Wright Petitioners A

Ex PARTE PRESENTATION NOTIFICATION LETTER submitted by c/o Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Wright Petitioners August 3 Ex Parte Presentation

2017-08-03

This document pretains to ITC-T/C-20170511-00095 for Transfer of Control on a International Telecommunications filing.

IBFS_ITCTC2017051100095_1256728

                                                                                         Lee G. Petro
                                                                                         202-230-5857 Direct
                                                                                         202-842-8465 Fax
                                                                                         Lee.Petro@dbr.com


           Law Offices

   1500 K Street N. W.                                         August 3, 2017
            Suite 1100
    Washington, D.C.
                          By ECFS
           20005-1209
                          Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary
        (202) 842-8800    Federal Communications Commission
    (202) 842-8465 fax
www.drinkerbiddle.com
                          445 12th Street, S.W.
                          Washington, DC 20554
          CALIFORNIA

           DELAWARE                      RE:    Ex Parte Submission
             ILLINOIS                           WC Docket No. 17-126
          NEW JERSEY

           NEW YORK
                                                ITC-T/C-20170511-00094, ITC-T/C-20170511-00095
      PENNSYLVANIA

    WASHINGTON D.C.
                          Dear Ms. Dortch:
          WISCONSIN

                                 The Wright Petitioners, by and through their counsel, and pursuant to
                          Section 1.1206(b) of the Commission's rules, hereby submit this Ex Parte
                          Presentation regarding the above-referenced transfer of control applications (the
                          “Transaction”).
                                 Specifically, attached hereto as Exhibit A is a copy of the August 2, 2017
                          order by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska taking two actions:
                                 1. granting confidential treatment of financial information submitted in its
                                    June 14, 2017, application, and
                                 2. establishing a timeline for issuing a decision on the Transaction.
                          This Order raises additional serious concerns that Securus had not obtained “all
                          necessary State/PSC/PUC approvals” when it met with the FCC on July 27,
                          2017. 1
                                Previously, the Wright Petitioners submitted a Scoping Memo and Ruling of
                          Assigned Commissioner from the California Public Utilities Commission Docket
                          #A.17-05-011 regarding the pending Transaction, in which Securus was advised –
                          on July 20, 2017 - that “the August 1, 2017 target completion date for the transfer
                          of control was not possible.” 2

                          1        See Ex Parte Presentation, July 31, 2017, pg. 5 (https://www.fcc.gov/
                          ecfs/filing/10731024012148).
       Established 1849   2        See Ex Parte Presentation, July 31, 2017, Exhibit A (https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/
                          filing/107312104209329).


Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary
August 3, 2017
Page 2

       The Alaska Order is additional evidence that the representations made to
the Commission on July 27, 2017 was not accurate. As of August 2, 2017, neither
California nor Alaska, two states in which Securus provides inmate
communications services, had approved the transaction.
        It is well established that the Commission requires all parties coming before
it to act with full candor. As expressed in Lefore Broadcasting Company, Inc., this
requirement is essential:
       Ever since the Supreme Court's decision in Federal Communications
       Commission v. WOKO, Inc., it has been clear that the Commission may
       refuse to renew a license where there has been willful and knowing
       misrepresentation or lack of candor in dealing with the Commission.
       Because effective regulation is premised upon the agency's ability to depend
       upon the representations made to it by its licensees, "[t]he fact of
       concealment [is] more significant than the facts concealed." 3
       Clearly, Securus was aware that it had not received approval from the
California Public Utilities Commission on July 27, 2017, since it had previously
participated in a pre-hearing conference call just seven days earlier wherein it was
advised that a closing date of August 1, 2017 was not possible. The additional
evidence that Securus had not received approval from the Regulatory Commission
of Alaska on July 27, 2017, only adds to the serious concerns that Securus provided
misleading information to the Commission on July 27th.
       Until the Commission receives a public explanation as to why it was
provided incorrect information, the public interest, convenience and necessity
demands that the Transaction must not be approved. Should there be any
questions regarding this submission, please contact undersigned counsel.
                                              Respectfully submitted,



                                              Lee G. Petro
                                              Counsel for the Wright Petitioners


3      See Leflore Broadcasting Co. Inc. v. FCC, 636 F.2d 454, 461 (D.C. Cir. 1980), citing
FCC v. WOKO, Inc., 329 U.S. 223 (1946).


Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary
August 3, 2017
Page 3

cc (by/email):

Chairman Ajit Pai
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn
Commissioner Michael O’Rielly
Brendan Carr, General Counsel
Kris Monteith, Chief, Wireline Competition Bureau
Tom Sullivan, Chief, International Bureau
Rosemary Harold, Chief, Enforcement Bureau
Nicholas Degani, Office of Chairman Pai
Jay Schwarz, Office of Chairman Pai
Jim Bird, Office of General Counsel
Madeline Findley, Wireline Competition Bureau
Daniel Kahn, Wireline Competition Bureau
Jodie May, Wireline Competition Bureau
Sherwin Siy, Wireline Competition Bureau
Tracey Wilson, Wireline Competition Bureau
David Krech, International Bureau
Richard Hindman, Enforcement Bureau
Sumita Mukhoty, International Bureau
Paul C. Besozzi, Counsel for Transferor and Licensees
William B. Wilhelm, Jr., Counsel for the Transferee


EXHIBIT A


                                      1                                      STATE OF ALASKA
                                      2                         THE REGULATORY COMMISSION OF ALASKA
                                      3

                                      4   Before Commissioners:                                 Stephen McAlpine, Chairman
                                                                                                Rebecca L. Pauli
                                      5                                                         Robert M. Pickett
                                                                                                Norman Rokeberg
                                      6                                                         Janis W. Wilson
                                      7   In the Matter of the Application Filed by SCRS )
                                          Acquisition Corporation to Acquire a Controlling )                U-17-040
                                      8   Interest in SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. )
                                          Holder of Certificate of Public Convenience and )               ORDER NO. 2
                                      9   Necessity Nos. 461 and 758 from Securus )
                                          Investment Holdings, LLC                         )
                                     10                                                    )
                                     11            ORDER GRANTING PETITION FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT
                                                         AND ESTABLISHING TIMELINE FOR DECISION
                                     12

                                     13   BY THE COMMISSION:
                                     14                                           Summary
                                     15                 We grant the petition for confidential treatment and address the timeline for
(907) 276-6222; TTY (907) 276-4533




                                          a decision in this proceeding.
Regulatory Commission of Alaska




                                     16
 701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300




                                     17                                          Background
     Anchorage, Alaska 99501




                                     18                 SCRS Acquisition Corporation (SCRS), Securus Investment Holdings, LLC
                                     19   (SIH), and Securus Technologies, Inc. (STI) (collectively, Applicants) jointly filed an
                                     20   application requesting approval for SCRS to acquire an indirect controlling interest in STI,
                                     21   from SIH.1     Applicants also filed a petition for confidential treatment of certain
                                     22   competitively sensitive financial information.2    We issued public notice of the joint
                                     23          1Application  for Authority to Acquire an Indirect Controlling Interest in Securus
                                          Technologies, Inc., filed June 14, 2017. The Applicants state that the transaction involves
                                     24   only a change in indirect ownership of STI, the holder of Certificates of Public
                                          Convenience and Necessity Nos. 461 and 758, and that it will essentially be transparent
                                     25   to STI’s customers. Id. at 1-2.
                                                 2Petition for Confidential Treatment, filed June 14, 2017 (Petition).
                                     26




                                          U-17-040(2) - (08/02/2017)
                                          Page 1 of 5


                                      1   application and the petition for confidential treatment on June 15, 2017, with comments

                                      2   due by July 7, 2017. We received no comments.

                                      3                                          Discussion

                                      4   Petition for Confidential Treatment

                                      5                 Records filed with us are presumed to be public under AS 42.05.671(a) and

                                      6   3 AAC 48.040(a).     The commission makes exceptions for certain categories of

                                      7   documents including records classified as confidential for “good cause” under
                                      8   3 AAC 48.045. A party seeking confidential treatment must demonstrate the need for

                                      9   confidential status according to the standard set out in 3 AAC 48.045(b).3 This standard

                                     10   requires that we balance the interests of the party seeking confidentiality with the public

                                     11   interest in disclosure. The Applicants request that we classify the financial information

                                     12   for Platinum Equity Capital Partners IV, L.P. (PECP IV) as confidential under

                                     13   3 AAC 48.045.4

                                     14                 We require that a statement of financial condition be filed in support of an

                                     15   application to acquire an indirect controlling interest in a certificated utility. 5      The
(907) 276-6222; TTY (907) 276-4533




                                          Applicants state that SCRS and its ultimate parent, SCRS Holding Corporation, are newly
Regulatory Commission of Alaska




                                     16
 701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300




                                     17   formed entities created for the purposes of the transaction and that they do not have
     Anchorage, Alaska 99501




                                     18   historical financial statements.6 In support of the joint application, Applicants submitted

                                     19          33AAC 48.045(b) provides:
                                     20          Good cause to classify a record as confidential under this section includes a
                                                 showing that
                                     21             (1) disclosure of the record to the public might competitively or financially
                                                    disadvantage or harm the person with confidentiality interest or might
                                     22             reveal a trade secret; and
                                     23             (2) the need for confidentiality outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
                                                 4Petition at 2.
                                     24
                                                 5APUC Form X107 at 4.

                                     25          6Petition at 2.

                                     26




                                          U-17-040(2) - (08/02/2017)
                                          Page 2 of 5


                                      1   financial information for PECP IV, a private-investment fund limited partnership, that is

                                      2   the majority owner of SCRS Holdings Corporation.7

                                      3                 The Applicants state that the information for which they request confidential

                                      4   treatment:

                                      5          includes competitively sensitive financial and investment information from
                                                 PECP IV, its general partner, and its limited partners and contains confidential
                                      6          trade secrets including non-public, proprietary valuation, investments,
                                                 divestitures, distributions, operations, assets, liabilities and capital accounts
                                      7          which should not be disclosed to parties outside the Commission and
                                                 Commission staff. The Information is competitively sensitive because it reveals
                                      8          private, confidential financial information underlying PECP IV performance,
                                                 investment strategy and capital account balances of its limited partners. 8
                                      9

                                     10                 The Applicants further state that the information is from a privately-held

                                     11   company and that PECP IV, its general partner, and its limited partners do not routinely

                                     12   make this information available to either the public or to regulatory authorities without

                                     13   confidential classification by the regulatory entity. 9

                                     14                 The Applicants assert that there is no need for public access to the

                                     15   information because the certificate holder, STI:
(907) 276-6222; TTY (907) 276-4533
Regulatory Commission of Alaska




                                     16          has a demonstrated record of technical, financial and managerial competence
 701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300




                                                 to continue to provide the same, authorized services that it has been providing
                                     17          in the State of Alaska for over twenty years. Further, STI has provided, in the
     Anchorage, Alaska 99501




                                                 public record, as Exhibit C to the Application, the 2016 Consolidated Financial
                                     18          Report for Securus Technologies Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries (including
                                                 STI). Accordingly, the public remains fully informed regarding the financial
                                     19          capability of STI, the certificate holder herein, and its corporate parent. Given
                                                 the competitive and financial harm that could occur if the PECP IV Information
                                     20          was disclosed, Applicants submit that the need for confidentiality of the
                                                 Information far outweighs the de minimus public interest in disclosure.10
                                     21

                                     22
                                                 7Petition at 2. The Applicants state that they are providing “highly confidential
                                     23   materials and financial information” for PECP IV. Id.
                                                8Petition at 3.
                                     24
                                                9Petition at 4.

                                     25         10Petition at 4.

                                     26




                                          U-17-040(2) - (08/02/2017)
                                          Page 3 of 5


                                      1                 Finally, the Applicants note that we have previously granted similar requests

                                      2   for confidential treatment involving the acquisition of an indirect controlling interest in STI

                                      3   by other private investment limited partnerships.11 In those orders (Order U-11-065(1)

                                      4   and Order U-13-016(1)), we stated:

                                      5          We generally deny requests for confidential treatment of highly aggregated
                                                 and historical financial information. However, we have granted confidential
                                      6          status to the financial statements of private investment firms owning five
                                                 percent or more of a certificated utility, observing that public disclosure of the
                                      7          information was not necessary to enable us to assess the ability of the principal
                                                 owners to provide the necessary financial support to the utility (footnotes
                                      8          omitted).12
                                      9                 In this proceeding, we find that disclosure of PECP IV’s financial statements

                                     10   may competitively or financially disadvantage PECP IV. We further find that the potential

                                     11   competitive harm to PECP IV by disclosure of the financial information outweighs the

                                     12   public interest in disclosure. We therefore find that the need for confidentiality outweighs

                                     13   the public interest in disclosure of the financial information of PECP IV. Accordingly, good

                                     14   cause exists to classify the information as confidential.         We grant the petition for

                                     15   confidential treatment of the financial information of PECP IV.
(907) 276-6222; TTY (907) 276-4533




                                          Decision Timeline
Regulatory Commission of Alaska




                                     16
 701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300




                                     17                 The commission is required under AS 42.05.175(a)(4) to issue a final order
     Anchorage, Alaska 99501




                                     18   not later than 180 days after a complete application is filed to acquire a controlling interest

                                     19   in a certificated public utility. We reviewed the joint application under 3 AAC 48.648. We

                                     20
                                                 11Petition at 2, 4-5. Applicants reference the orders granting confidential treatment
                                     21   of financial information for private investment partnerships in Dockets U-11-065 and
                                          U-13-016. See Petition at 2 n.1 (citing Order U-13-016(1), Order Granting Petition for
                                     22   Confidential Treatment, Granting Motion for Waiver, Granting Request for Expedited
                                          Consideration, Addressing Statutory Timeline, Designating Commission Panel, and
                                     23   Appointing Administrative Law Judge, dated May 22, 2013 (Order U-13-016), and Order
                                          U-11-065(1), Order Granting Petition for Confidential Treatment, Granting Motion for
                                     24   Waiver, Granting Request for Expedited Consideration, Addressing Statutory Timeline,
                                          Designating Commission Panel, and Appointing Administrative Law Judge, dated July 13,
                                     25   2011 (Order U-11-065(1)); Petition at 5 n.2 (citing Order U-13-016(1)).
                                                 12Order U-11-065(1) at 4; Order U-13-016 at 3-4.
                                     26




                                          U-17-040(2) - (08/02/2017)
                                          Page 4 of 5


                                      1   did not reject the joint application within 15 business days after it was filed under

                                      2   3 AAC 48.648(b)(1). However, the Applicants filed a petition for confidential treatment.

                                      3   Under 3 AAC 48.648(d)(1), an application accompanied by a petition for confidential

                                      4   treatment is complete on the date the application is filed if the confidentiality petition is

                                      5   granted and all other filing requirements are met.

                                      6                 In this order, we grant the petition for confidential treatment. All other filing

                                      7   requirements have been met. Therefore, the joint application was complete as filed on
                                      8   June 14, 2017. Accordingly, we will issue a final order in this proceeding no later than

                                      9   December 11, 2017.

                                     10                                             ORDER

                                     11   THE COMMISSION FURTHER ORDERS that the Petition for Confidential Treatment filed
                                     12   June 14, 2017, by SCRS Acquisition Corporation, Securus Investment Holdings, LLC,
                                     13   and Securus Technologies, Inc. is granted.
                                     14   DATED AND EFFECTIVE at Anchorage, Alaska, this 2nd day of August, 2017.
                                     15                         BY DIRECTION OF THE COMMISSION
                                                          (Commissioners Robert M. Pickett and Janis W. Wilson,
                                                                           not participating.)
(907) 276-6222; TTY (907) 276-4533
Regulatory Commission of Alaska




                                     16
 701 West Eighth Avenue, Suite 300




                                     17
     Anchorage, Alaska 99501




                                     18

                                     19
                                              (SEAL)
                                     20

                                     21

                                     22

                                     23

                                     24

                                     25

                                     26




                                          U-17-040(2) - (08/02/2017)
                                          Page 5 of 5



Document Created: 2017-08-03 10:53:33
Document Modified: 2017-08-03 10:53:33

© 2024 FCC.report
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FCC