******************************************************** NOTICE ******************************************************** This document was converted from WordPerfect to ASCII Text format. Content from the original version of the document such as headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, graphics, and page numbers will not show up in this text version. All text attributes such as bold, italic, underlining, etc. from the original document will not show up in this text version. Features of the original document layout such as columns, tables, line and letter spacing, pagination, and margins will not be preserved in the text version. If you need the complete document, download the WordPerfect version or Adobe Acrobat version, if available. ***************************************************************** Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) MAC LANDING CORP. ) ) Application for a license to land and operate in the ) File Nos. SCL-LIC-19981030-00023 United States a private fiber optic submarine cable ) SCL-LPN-19981106-00027 system extending between the United States ) mainland and the U.S. Virgin Islands ) CABLE LANDING LICENSE Adopted: March 15, 1999 Released: March 18, 1999 By the Chief, Telecommunications Division: I. Introduction 1. In this Order, we grant the application of MAC Landing Corp. under the Cable Landing License Act for authority to land and operate a private fiber optic submarine cable system to be called "Mid-Atlantic Crossing" or "MAC," extending between the U.S. mainland and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. This system will be operated on a non common carrier basis. We find that MAC Landing Corp. has provided sufficient information under our rules to comply with the Cable Landing License Act and that it would serve the public interest to grant the cable landing license subject to the conditions listed below. II. Application 2. MAC Landing Corp., a Delaware corporation, is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Mid-Atlantic Crossing Ltd., a Bermuda company, which, through a series of intermediate holding companies, is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Crossing, a Bermuda company which is majority owned by U.S. interests. MAC Landing Corp. will own all U. Ltd.S. cable terminal equipment and the U.S. territory portions of MAC from the landing stations to the points that are one-half mile beyond the U.S. territorial limit. Mid-Atlantic Crossing Ltd. will own the remaining portions of MAC. 3. The proposed MAC system will connect: (1) Brookhaven, New York and Hollywood, Florida; (2) Hollywood, Florida and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; and (3) St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and Brookhaven, New York. MAC will be a state-of-the-art, optically amplified fiber system, consisting of two optical fiber pairs, one for service and one for protection, each employing wavelength division multiplexing. The system will be constructed in a self-healing ring architecture. The wet plant design will initially support 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) of capacity on each fiber pair between terminal stations for service. Upon completion of the system's ring configuration, the capacity will be 20 Gbps, upgradeable to a minimum of 40 Gbps using dense wavelength division multiplexing. 4. As shown in Exhibit A of the application that is attached to this order, MAC will consist of three segments. Segment 1 will include the whole of the submarine cable system between and including the System Interface at the cable station in Brookhaven New York and the System Interface at the cable station in Hollywood, Florida. Segment 2 will include the whole of the submarine cable system between and including the System Interface at the cable station in Hollywood, Florida and the System Interface at the cable station in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Segment 3 will include the whole of the submarine cable system between and including the System Interface at the cable station in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and the System Interface at the cable station in Brookhaven, New York. The Minimum Capacity Unit (MCU) will be an STM-1 (155 Mbps) on Segment 1. Additionally, capacity will be available for sale at the DS-3 level (45 Mbps) on Segments 2 and 3. Each segment is capable of supporting 64 STM-1 MCUs, or as applicable to Segments 2 and 3, 192 DS-3 MCUs or a combination of STM-1 and DS-3 MCUs not to exceed 10 Gbps. The capacity of MAC will be sold or leased to users on a non-tariffed, private carriage basis. Operation of MAC is anticipated to begin in December 1999. III. Comments 5. The application was placed on public notice on November 13, 1998. Tyco Submarine Systems Ltd. (Tyco) filed comments in support of the application. We received no other comments. Pursuant to Section 1.767(b) of the Commission's rules, the Cable Landing License Act, and Executive Order No. 10530, we informed the Department of State of the application. The Department of State, after coordinating with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Department of Defense, stated that it has no objection to issuance of the cable landing license. IV. Discussion A. Private Submarine Cable Policy 6. MAC Landing Corp. proposes to operate MAC as a non common carrier submarine cable system in which capacity will not be offered indifferently to the user public. MAC Landing Corp. requests a license under the Commission's private submarine cable policy, which is intended to promote competition in the provision of international transmission facilities. Pursuant to this policy, the Commission has authorized non common carrier cables where: (1) there is no legal compulsion to serve the public indifferently; and (2) there are no reasons implicit in the nature of the operations to expect that the applicant would make capacity available to the public indifferently and indiscriminately. 7. In applying the first prong of the test to submarine cable authorizations, the Commission has stated that there will be no legal compulsion to serve the public indifferently where there is no public interest reason to require facilities to be offered on a common carrier basis. This public interest analysis has generally focused on whether an applicant will be able to exercise market power because of the lack of alternative facilities. Where there are sufficient alternatives, the Commission has found that the licensee will lack market power and will not be able to charge monopoly rates for cable capacity. The Commission has found that, in those circumstances, the public interest would be served by allowing a submarine cable to be offered on a non-common carrier basis. 8. No one has suggested that the public interest requires MAC to be operated on a common carrier basis. MAC does not land in any foreign countries. In light of the record before us, we find that it would not serve the public interest to impose common carrier regulation on the operations of MAC at this time. We note, however, that we retain the authority to impose common carrier or common-carrier-like obligations on the operations of this or any other submarine cable system if the public interest so requires. Furthermore, we have always maintained the authority to classify facilities as common carrier facilities subject to Title II of the Communications Act if the public interest requires that the facilities be offered to the public indifferently. 9. Regarding the second prong of the test, we conclude that there is no reason to expect that capacity in the proposed cable system would be held out to the public indifferently. MAC Landing Corp. states that capacity will not be sold indifferently to the user public. Rather, capacity will be assigned pursuant to individualized decisions, and bulk capacity will be offered to a specific class of eligible users. Users of bulk capacity will be able to obtain capacity on the system on the basis of indefeasible rights of user (IRUs) or leases of capacity. We therefore conclude that MAC Landing Corp. will operate MAC on a non-common carrier basis. 10. We conclude that MAC Landing Corp. will not offer capacity in MAC to the public on a common carrier basis and that the public interest does not require that they do so. Accordingly, we conclude that it is appropriate to license MAC on a non-common carrier basis. We also find that the applicant will not provide a telecommunications service for a fee to such class of users as to be "effectively available directly to the public" and thus will not be "telecommunications carriers" under the 1996 Act. B. Ownership and Landing Points 11. MAC Landing Corp. has provided the ownership information required by Section 63.18(e)(6), 1.767(a)(6), and Section 63.18(h) of the Commission's rules. MAC Landing Corp. is ultimately controlled by Global Crossing Ltd. MAC Landing Corp. will lease space in the building that houses the Brookhaven cable station and will lease or own the buildings that house the St. Croix and Hollywood cable stations. MAC Landing Corp. will own all U.S. cable terminal equipment and the U.S. territory portions of MAC from the landing stations to the points that are one-half mile beyond the U.S. territorial limit. Mid-Atlantic Crossing Ltd. will own the remaining portions of MAC. The Applicant states that during the pendency of the application, it will become affiliated within the meaning of Section 63.18(h)(1)(A) of the Commission's rules with a Japanese foreign carrier, Global Access Ltd., through Global Crossing Ltd.'s proposed minority investment in Global Access Ltd. Global Access Ltd. is a start- up venture that was recently granted a Japanese Type-1 Telecommunications License. Because the proposed cable does not land in Japan we find that this affiliation does not affect grant of the Cable Landing License. 12. MAC Landing Corp. has complied with Section 1.767(a)(5) of the Commission's rules by providing specific information on the cable landing locations: Brookhaven, New York; Hollywood, Florida; and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. This license is therefore not subject to any further public notice or Commission approval of the cable system's landing points pursuant to the procedure in Section 1.767(a)(5) of the Commission's rules. C. Environmental Impact 13. Based on the information provided by the applicant and pursuant to the Commission's procedures implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, we find that action on the present application would not significantly affect the environment according to Section 1.1307(a) or (b) of the Commission's rules. Therefore, pursuant to Section 1.1306 of the Commission's rules, we conclude that grant of the requested license would not significantly affect the environment. Consequently, MAC Landing Corp. is not required to submit an environmental assessment, and this application is categorically excluded from environmental processing. V. Conclusion 14. We grant MAC Landing Corp.'s application for authority to land and operate a non- common carrier fiber optic submarine cable extending between the United States mainland and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, subject to the conditions listed below. VI. Ordering Clauses 15. Consistent with the foregoing and pursuant to the Cable Landing License Act and Executive Order 10530, we hereby GRANT AND ISSUE MAC Landing Corp. a license to land and operate a non common carrier fiber optic cable system (consisting of two optical fiber pairs, one for service and one for protection, with 20 Gbps capacity upon completion, and upgradeable to 40 Gbps) extending between the United States mainland and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin islands. This grant is subject to all rules and regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (Commission); any treaties or conventions relating to communications to which the United States is or may hereafter become a party; any action by the Commission or the Congress of the United States rescinding, changing, modifying, or amending any rights accruing to any person hereunder; and the following conditions: (1) The location of the cable system within the territorial waters of the United States, its territories and possessions, and upon its shore shall be in conformity with plans approved by the Secretary of the Army, and the cable shall be moved or shifted by the Licensee at its expense upon the request of the Secretary of the Army whenever he or she considers such course necessary in the public interest, for reasons of national defense, or for the maintenance or improvement of harbors for navigational purposes; (2) The Licensee shall at all times comply with any requirements of U.S. government authorities regarding the location and concealment of the cable facilities, buildings, and apparatus for the purpose of protecting and safeguarding the cable from injury or destruction by enemies of the United States; (3) The Licensee or any persons or companies controlling it, controlled by it, or under direct or indirect common control with it do not enjoy and shall not acquire any right to handle traffic on a common carrier basis to or from the United States, its territories, or its possessions unless such service be authorized by the Commission pursuant to Section 214 of the Communications Act, as amended; (4) The Licensee or any persons or companies controlling it, controlled by it, or under direct or indirect common control with it shall not acquire or enjoy any right for the purpose of handling or interchanging traffic to or from the United States, its territories, or its possessions to land, connect, or operate cables or land lines, to construct or operate radio stations, or to interchange traffic, that is denied to any other United States company by reason of any concession, contract, understanding, or working arrangement to which the Licensee or any persons controlling it, controlled by it, or under direct or indirect common control with it are parties; (5) Neither this license nor the rights granted herein shall be transferred, assigned, or in any manner either voluntarily or involuntarily disposed of or disposed of indirectly by transfer of control of the Licensee to any persons, unless the Commission shall give prior consent in writing; (6) Pursuant to Section 2 of the Cable Landing License Act, 47 U.S.C.  35; Executive Order No. 10530, as amended; and Section 214 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C.  214, the Commission reserves the right to impose additional common carrier or common-carrier- like regulation on the operations of the cable system if it finds that the public interest so requires; (7) The Commission reserves the right to require the Licensee to file an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement should it determine that the landing of the cable at those locations and construction of necessary cable landing stations would significantly affect the environment within the meaning of Section 1.1307 of the Commission's procedures implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; this license is subject to modification by the Commission upon its review of any environmental assessment or environmental impact statement that it may require pursuant to its rules; (8) The Licensees shall maintain de jure and de facto control of the U.S. portion of the cable system, including the cable landing stations in the United States, sufficient to comply with the requirements of this license; (9) This license is revocable by the Commission after due notice and opportunity for hearing pursuant to Section 2 of the Cable Landing License Act, 47 U.S.C.  35, or for failure to comply with the terms of the authorizations; (10) The Licensee shall notify the Commission in writing of the date on which the cable is placed in service, and this license shall expire 25 years from such date, unless renewed or extended upon proper application, and, upon expiration of this license, all rights granted under it shall be terminated; and (11) The terms and conditions upon which this license is given shall be accepted by the Licensee by filing a letter with the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C. 20554, within 30 days of the release of the cable landing license. 16. This Order is issued under Section 0.261 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R.  0.261, and is effective upon adoption. Petitions for reconsideration under Section 1.106 or applications for review under Section 1.115 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R.  1.106, 1.115, may be filed within 30 days of the date of public notice of this order (see 47 C.F.R.  1.4(b)(2)). FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Rebecca Arbogast Chief, Telecommunications Division International Bureau