NOTICE OF JOINT UTILITY APPLICATION FOR A CHANGE IN CONTROLLING INTEREST
The REGULATORY COMMISSION OF ALASKA (Commission) gives notice that on January 20, 2021, ATN International, Inc. (ATN), acting through its indirect majority-owned subsidiary, Project 8 Buyer, LLC (Project 8), and Alaska Communications Systems Group Inc. (ACS Group) (collectively, Applicants) filed an application for ATN to acquire an indirect controlling interest in ACS Group and its certificated telecommunications subsidiaries: ACS of Alaska, LLC (ACS-AK), ACS of Anchorage, LLC (ACS-AN), ACS of Fairbanks, LLC (ACS-F), ACS of the Northland, LLC (ACS-N), Alaska Fiber Star, LLC (AFS) and ACS Long Distance, LLC (ACS-LD). Docket No. U–21–003 was opened to address this matter.
ACS-AK holds Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (Certificate) No. 251 authorizing the provision of local exchange telephone service in Juneau and surrounding areas, in addition to Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base.
ACS-AN holds Certificate No.120, authorizing the provision of local exchange telephone service in the Greater Anchorage area including Joint Base Elmendorf/Richardson, Portage, Girdwood, and Hope.
ACS-F holds Certificate No.117, authorizing the provision of local exchange telephone service in Fairbanks and certain nearby areas.
ACS-N holds Certificate No. 359, authorizing the provision of local exchange telephone service in the Sitka Study Area, including Sitka and nearby Bush areas and the Glacier State Study area, which includes Kenai, Soldotna, Kodiak and areas near Fairbanks including Nenana, North Pole and Delta Junction.
AFS holds Certificate No. 539, authorizing the provision of intrastate interexchange telephone service throughout Alaska; and Certificate No. 619, authorizing the provision of local exchange telephone service in Anchorage.
ACS LD holds Certificate No. 476, authorizing the provision of intrastate interexchange telephone service throughout Alaska.
The Applicants state that the proposed transfer of controlling interest will have no effect on existing services, management, or operations of the ACS Group and its certificated telecommunications subsidiaries, and does not include the transfer or consolidation of any of the facilities, plant, or equipment used to provide service to customers. Further, they state that the leadership team, brand, operations, and products and services for ACS Group and its certificated subsidiaries will not change as a result of the transaction.
The Commission has not assessed the completeness of the applications or ruled on the motion for waiver and petition for confidential treatment. The Commission may determine whether the applications are complete by February 10, 2021.
You may obtain more information about this filing by contacting Lisa Phillips, Manager of Regulatory Affairs for ACS Group, at 600 Telephone Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503, (907) 297-3000; or Dean D. Thompson, counsel for ATN and Project 8, at Kemppel, Huffman and Ellis, P.C., 255 East Fireweed Lane, Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99504, phone: (907) 277-1604. The complete filing is also available for inspection at the Commission's office, 701 West 8th Avenue, Suite 300, Anchorage, AK, 99501; Phone: (907) 276-6222, or may be viewed at the Commission’s website, http://rca.alaska.gov/ by typing Docket “U-21-003" in the Find a Matter search box.
To comment on these filings, please file your comments by 5:00 p.m., February 12, 2021, at the Commission's address above or via our website at:
https://rca.alaska.gov/RCAWeb/WhatsNew/PublicNoticesComments.aspx
Please reference Docket No. U-21-003 and include a statement that you have filed a copy of the comments with the Applicants at the address given above. Individual or groups of people with disabilities, who require special accommodations, auxiliary aids or service, or alternative communications formats, please contact Valerie Fletcher-Mitchell at (907) 276-6222, toll-free at 1-800-390-2782, or TTY (907) 276-4533, or send a request via electronic mail to rca.mail@alaska.gov by February 5, 2021.
Dated at Anchorage, Alaska this 22nd day of January, 2021.
REGULATORY COMMISSION OF ALASKA
David Parrish
Common Carrier Section Manager