PUBLIC NOTICE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 1919 M STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554 News media information 202/418-0500 Fax-On-Demand 202/418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov Network Services Division June 5, 1998 Common Carrier Bureau Section 214 applications accepted for filing Request for association of LATAs accepted for filing NSD File Nos. W-P-C-7161, W-P-D-429, and L-98-81 Applicants: Kendall Telephone Inc. and Wisconsin Bell, Inc. (Ameritech Wisconsin) Kendall Telephone, Inc. (Kendall) and Wisconsin Bell, Inc. (Ameritech Wisconsin) filed a joint application on May 13, 1998, requesting authority under section 214 of the Communications Act of 1934 (the Act) for Kendall to purchase and Ameritech to sell 19 local exchanges serving 21 communities in parts of northern and central Wisconsin: Ashland, Bayfield, Cornell, Hurley, Ladysmith, Saxon, Stanley, Superior, Washburn, McAllister, Marinette, Oconto, Oconto Falls, Peshtigo, Baraboo, Berlin, Green Lake, Mazomainie, North Freedom, Princeton, and Redgranite. The sale will include all property and equipment necessary to provide local exchange service, including approximately 85,000 telephone lines, 23 wire centers and switching equipment, and 37 buildings. Kendall also requests that, following the transaction, the exchanges continue to be associated with the respective local access and transport areas (LATAs) in which the exchanges are currently located. In support of this request, Kendall submits information to comport with the categories specified in In the Matter of LATA Association Changes by Independent Telephone Companies, Memorandum Opinion and Order, CC Docket No. 96-158, 12 FCC Rcd 11,769, (rel. Aug. 6, 1997), including the number of access lines for each exchange, identification of the LATA involved for each exchange, a public interest statement, a map showing the 19 exchanges in relation to each other, and the concurrence by Ameritech Wisconsin. Ameritech Wisconsin also requests waiver of section 63.90 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R  63.90, which requires publication and posting of notices for discontinuance of service, stating that it and Kendall have announced the sale of the exchanges through a press release, sent letters to affected customers, and notified the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Ameritech Wisconsin also requests waiver of section 63.505(l), which requires a discontinuance application to include information regarding toll messages sent-paid and received-collect for the service to be discontinued, stating that the Commission has routinely granted waivers of section 63.505(l) for the sale of an exchange between two telephone companies. Kendall is a rural telephone company with 586 access lines, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pacific Telecom, Inc., which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. (Century). Ameritech Wisconsin serves approximately 2.2 million access lines and is wholly-owned by Ameritech Corporation. After the proposed transaction, customers in the 19 exchanges will have all the services currently provided by Ameritech Wisconsin, plus voicemail and local internet dial-up access. Century will provide long distance service and will have approximately 330,000 access lines, or approximately 10 percent of the total lines in Wisconsin, in 115 Wisconsin exchanges. Kendall will have fewer than three percent of the access lines in Wisconsin. The application, upon initial review, appears to be complete and has been accepted for filing. The Commission reserves the right to return this application, if, upon further examination, it is determined that it is defective or not in substantial compliance with the Commission s rules. Final action will not be taken on this application until the expiration of 30 days following the date of this notice. Petitions to deny this application must be filed with the Commission and served upon the applicants within 30 days of the date of this notice. It is requested that such petitions refer to the NSD application file numbers shown above. Petitions should be sent to the Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20554. Two copies of the petition should also be sent to Network Services Division, 2000 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20554. Copies of the applications are available for public inspection in Room 220, 2000 M St., N.W., Washington, D.C. For further information, contact Marty Schwimmer, (202) 418-2334, mschwimm@fcc.gov, at the Network Services Division, Common Carrier Bureau, Federal Communications Commission. The TTY number is (202) 418-0484. -FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION-