IBFS / ICFS

ITC-T/C-20260423-00119

Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc.

Pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, Citizens Mutual Telephone Cooperative ("CM Tech") will acquire 100 percent of the issued and outstanding equity securities of Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc. ("VBT") through a reverse triangular merger. At the effective time of the merger, Citizens HOCO, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CM Tech formed solely for purposes of the transaction, will merge with and into VBT. The separate corporate existence of Citizens HOCO, Inc. will cease, and VBT will continue as the surviving corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CM Tech.

Filing overview

StatusPending Review
Applicant FRN0017913682
ContactVan Buren Telephone Company, Inc.
Filing typeT/C
Date filed2026-05-06
Status date2026-07-31
ServiceITC
FCC sourceView the FCC filing record

Application details

FCC form
FCC 214 ITC-ASG/TC
Application type
FCC Application for Assignment or Transfer of Control of an International Section 214 Authorization
FRN
0017913682
Name
Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc.
Street Address
617 First Street
Street Address 2
P.O. Box 430
City
Keosauqua
State
IA
Zip Code/Postal Code
52565
Country
United States of America
Attention
Kevin Hranicka
Title
General Manager
Phone
3192933187
Fax
319 2937151
Email
montehagge@netins.net
Contact Same As
Yes
FRN
0017913682
Name
Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc.
Street Address
617 First Street
Street Address 2
P.O. Box 430
City
Keosauqua
State
IA
Zip Code/Postal Code
52565
Country
United States of America
Attention
Kevin Hranicka
Title
General Manager
Phone
3192933187
Fax
319 2937151
Email
montehagge@netins.net
No Alternate Contact Designated
Yes
Agent Same As Contact For Execution Of Lawful Requests
Yes
Alt Agt No Alternate Contact Designated
Yes
8. Identify the Government, State, or Territory under the laws of which a corporate or partnership Applicant (or Lead Applicant) is organized.
(a) Applicant Name (the transferor/assignor and the transferee/assignee names) (b1) Government where Applicant is Organized (b2) State or Territory where Applicant is Organized Citizens Mutual Telephone Cooperative United States of America IA Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc. United States of America IA
First Name
Kevin
Last Name
Hranicka
Title
COO
Signature
Kevin Hranicka
Date
2026-05-06
First Name
Vince
Last Name
Tyson
Title
CEO
Signature
Vince Tyson
Date
2026-05-06

3. Assignor/Transferor Information

FRN
0017913682
Name
Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc.
Street Address
617 First Street
Street Address 2
P.O. Box 430
City
Keosauqua
State
IA
Zip Code/Postal Code
52565
Country
United States of America
Attention
Kevin Hranicka
Title
General Manager
Phone
3192933187
Fax
319 2937151
Email
montehagge@netins.net

4. Assignor/Transferor Contact Information

Contact Same As 2
Yes
FRN
0017913682
Name
Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc.
Street Address
617 First Street
Street Address 2
P.O. Box 430
City
Keosauqua
State
IA
Zip Code/Postal Code
52565
Country
United States of America
Attention
Kevin Hranicka
Title
General Manager
Phone
3192933187
Fax
319 2937151
Email
montehagge@netins.net

5. Assignee/Transferee Information

FRN
0003733029
Name
Citizens Mutual Telephone Cooperative
Street Address
114 West Jefferson St
Street Address 2
PO Box 130
City
Bloomfield
State
IA
Zip Code/Postal Code
52537
Country
United States of America
Attention
Vince J Tyson
Title
General Manager
Phone
6416642074
Fax
641 6649780
Email
vtyson@mycmtech.com

6. Assignee/Transferee Contact Information

Contact Same As 3
Yes
FRN
0003733029
Name
Citizens Mutual Telephone Cooperative
Street Address
114 West Jefferson St
Street Address 2
PO Box 130
City
Bloomfield
State
IA
Zip Code/Postal Code
52537
Country
United States of America
Attention
Vince J Tyson
Title
General Manager
Phone
6416642074
Fax
641 6649780
Email
vtyson@mycmtech.com

Application Information

9. Enter the name of the cable system and AuthID and associated file numbers (SCL-LIC or SCL-MOD) of the cable landing license(s) subject to this transaction.
(a) Name of Authorization Holder 8.a. ICFS file number(s) of the Assignment or Transfer of Control Application: (b1) AuthID (b2) File Number of Current Authorization Holder Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc. ITC-T/C-20260423-00119 T253109 ITC-214-20080707-00312 Citizens Communication Company ITC-T/C-20260423-00119 T254966 ITC-214-19970219-00096
10. Brief Description Of Transaction
Pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, Citizens Mutual Telephone Cooperative ("CM Tech") will acquire 100 percent of the issued and outstanding equity securities of Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc. ("VBT") through a reverse triangular merger. At the effective time of the merger, Citizens HOCO, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CM Tech formed solely for purposes of the transaction, will merge with and into VBT. The separate corporate existence of Citizens HOCO, Inc. will cease, and VBT will continue as the surviving corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CM Tech.
11. Is this an assignment of license or transfer of control?
Transfer of control
12. Is this a pro forma or substantive transaction?
Substantive

Substantive Assignment

13. Is the Assignment of the license:
Voluntary

Related Filings

14. Is there a separately filed request related to this transaction filed by the Applicants?
Yes
Docket No(s):
Domestic 214 - no docket assigned

Transaction Information

15. Is the Applicant seeking streamlined processing?
Yes
Seeking Streamlined Processing Notification
Yes
17. Enter the AuthID(s)/file number(s) of the international section 214 authorization(s) for which the Transferee is notifying the Commission of the transfer of control:
No data to display

Foreign Ownership

19. Does any individual or entity that is not a U.S. citizen hold a 10% or greater direct or indirect equity or voting interest, or a controlling interest, in the Assignee?
No

Ownership Information

20. Will any person or entity directly or indirectly have 10% or more of the equity interests and/or voting interests, or a controlling interest, of the Licensee?
No

Foreign Carrier Affiliation

22. Is the Assignee a foreign carrier or is it affiliated with a foreign carrier in any foreign country?
No
22.d. Has the Applicant uploaded an attachment providing information to demonstrate that it qualifies for non-dominant classification under section 63.10 of the Commission's rules?
Yes
field_2
ITC-T/C-20260423-00119
field_3
ITC-T/C-20260423-00119

Attachment Statement

Public Interest Cert
Yes
26. The Applicant has uploaded an attachment to provide a detailed ownership listing and ownership diagram responding to section 63.18(h) of the Commission's rules.
Yes
27. The Applicant has uploaded an attachment identifying any interlocking directorates with a foreign carrier, pursuant to section 63.18(h) of the Commission's rules.. The Applicant has uploaded an attachment identifying any interlocking directorates with a foreign carrier, pursuant to section 63.18(h) of the Commission's rules.
N/A
28. The Transferee has uploaded information to demonstrate that it qualifies for non-dominant classification under section 63.10 of the Commission's rules.
Yes
29. The Applicant has uploaded a statement showing that its application qualifies for exclusion from referral to the Executive Branch under section 1.40001(a)(2) of the Commission's rules
N/A
31. The Applicant has uploaded an attachment providing the information and certifications required by section 63.18(i) through (m) of the Commission's rules
Yes
32. The Applicant has uploaded a statement supporting the waiver request and identifying the rule number(s) involved, along with other material information.
N/A

National Security/Law Enforcement Certification Statements

National Security Statement Certification
No

General Certification Statements

Certification Statement
Yes

Parties Authorized to Sign

First Name
Kevin
Last Name
Hranicka
Title
COO
Signature
Kevin Hranicka
Date
2026-05-06

Sources and provenance

SourceSource recordRetrievedMatch
ICFSITC-T/C-20260423-001192026-07-30 04:44:28Source Primary
Selected field provenance
FieldDisplayed valueSourceObserved
StatusPending ReviewICFS ITC-T/C-20260423-001192026-07-30 04:44:28
DescriptionPursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, Citizens Mutual Telephone Cooperative ("CM Tech") will acquire 100 percent of the issued and outstanding equity securities of Van Buren Telephone Company, Inc. ("VBT") through a reverse triangular merger. At the effective time of the merger, Citizens HOCO, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of CM Tech formed solely for purposes of the transaction, will merge with and into VBT. The separate corporate existence of Citizens HOCO, Inc. will cease, and VBT will continue as the surviving corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CM Tech.ICFS ITC-T/C-20260423-001192026-07-30 04:44:28
Applicant NameVan Buren Telephone Company, Inc.ICFS ITC-T/C-20260423-001192026-07-30 04:44:28
Applicant Frn0017913682ICFS ITC-T/C-20260423-001192026-07-30 04:44:28
Date Filed2026-05-06ICFS ITC-T/C-20260423-001192026-07-30 04:44:28
Status Date2026-07-31ICFS ITC-T/C-20260423-001192026-07-30 04:44:28

Documents

DocumentTypeDateStatus
CMT-VBT International 1.pdfForm Attachment2026-05-06Available
CMT-VBT International 2.pdfForm Attachment2026-05-06Available