Domestic Section 214 Application Filed For The Transfer Of Control
PUBLIC NOTICE
Federal Communications Commission
News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
445 12th St., S.W.Internet: http://www.fcc.gov
Washington, D.C. 20554
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
DA 12-19
Released: January 6, 2012
DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR THE TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF
NEXTG NETWORKS, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES TO
CROWN CASTLE SOLUTIONS CORP.
STREAMLINED PLEADING CYCLE ESTABLISHED
WC Docket No. 11-209
Comments Due: January 20, 2012
Reply Comments Due: January 27, 2012
NextG Networks of California, Inc. d/b/a NextG Networks West (NextG West), NextG Networks of
Illinois, Inc. d/b/a NextG Networks Central (NextG Central), NextG Networks Atlantic, Inc. (NextG
Atlantic; and collectively, the NextG Subsidiaries) and Crown Castle Solutions Corp. (Solutions, and
collectively with the NextG Subsidiaries, the Applicants) filed an application pursuant to section 63.03 of
the Commission’s rules1 to transfer control of the NextG Subsidiaries to Solutions.
The NextG Subsidiaries are wholly-owned subsidiaries of NextG Networks, Inc. (NextG
Networks).2 Through the NextG Subsidiaries, NextG Networks provides outdoor distributed antenna
system (DAS) solutions in the U.S., which is used by NextG Networks to deliver transport and backhaul
services to wireless carriers. At present, NextG Networks has over 7,000 nodes on-air and approximately
1,500 nodes under construction. In addition, NextG Networks has rights to over 4,600 miles of fiber.
Through the NextG Subsidiaries, NextG Networks currently provides DAS service to wireless carriers in
Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas,
Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The NextG Subsidiaries hold blanket domestic Section 214 authority and certificates of public
convenience and necessity or equivalent authorizations to provide local, interexchange and/or other
intrastate telecommunications services on a competitive basis in 35 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of
Columbia.3 At this time, the NextG Subsidiaries are the only subsidiaries of NextG Networks that offer
1 47 C.F.R § 63.03; see 47 U.S.C. § 214.
2 NextG East, NextG West, and NextG Central are Delaware corporations, and NextG Atlantic is a Virginia
corporation. NextG Networks is a Delaware corporation.
3 The NextG Subsidiaries hold authorizations in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
domestic telecommunications services. The following investment funds hold a 10 percent or greater
ownership interest in NextG Networks: funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC (Madison
Dearborn, collectively, 63.3 percent) and funds affiliated with Accel Partners (Accel, collectively 14.4
percent).
Solutions, a Delaware corporation, is a wholly-owned, direct subsidiary of Crown Castle
Operating Company, a Delaware corporation, which is a wholly-owned, direct subsidiary of Crown Castle
International Corp. (CCI), a publicly traded Delaware corporation. Solutions does not itself provide any
telecommunications services. William E. Oberndorf, a U.S. citizen, is the only party that holds a 10
percent or greater ownership interest in CCI.4 CCI, through its indirect subsidiaries, owns, operates and
leases towers and other infrastructure for wireless communications, including over 22,300 tower and
rooftop sites throughout the U.S. Solutions’ subsidiaries deployed forty DAS networks with several
additional DAS networks in development or under consideration. Solutions’ wholly-owned subsidiaries
hold authorizations to provide intrastate telecommunications services in the District of Columbia and in
23 states.5 In addition, the following subsidiaries of Solutions hold blanket domestic 214 authority: CA-
CLEC, LLC; InSITE Solutions, LLC; NewPath Networks, LLC; Pennsylvania-CLEC LLC; and WA-
CLEC, LLC.
Pursuant to the terms of an Agreement and Plan of Merger, Crown Castle NG Acquisitions Corp.
(Merger Sub), a wholly-owned, direct subsidiary of Solutions, will merge with and into NextG Networks.
NextG Networks will continue as the surviving corporation, and become a wholly-owned, direct
subsidiary of Solutions. Applicants state that once the proposed transaction is consummated, Madison
Dearborn and Accel will not have any ongoing equity interest in CCI, NextG Networks, or the NextG
Subsidiaries. Applicants assert that the proposed transaction is entitled to presumptive streamlined
treatment under section 63.03(b)(2)(i) of the Commission’s rules, and that a grant of the application will
serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity.6
Domestic Section 214 Application Filed for the Transfer of Control of NextG Networks
Inc. and its subsidiaries to Crown Castle Solutions Corp., WC Docket No. 11-209 (filed
Dec. 23, 2011).
GENERAL INFORMATION
The transfer of control identified herein has been found, upon initial review, to be acceptable forfiling as a streamlined application. The Commission reserves the right to return any transfer application
if, upon further examination, it is determined to be defective and not in conformance with the
Commission’s rules and policies. Pursuant to section 63.03(a) of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR §
63.03(a), interested parties may file comments on or before January 20, 2012, and reply comments on
or before January 27, 2012. Unless otherwise notified by the Commission, the Applicants may transfer
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and
Wisconsin.
4 Mr. Oberndorf controls approximately 10 percent of the shares and voting interests of CCI as one of three
managing directors of SPO Advisory Corp., the general partner of two entities that are the general partners of two
funds that each own less than 10% of CCI. He also has power to vote shares held by various trusts that each own
less than 10% of CCI, and is the direct owner of less than 1% of CCI.
5 Solutions’ subsidiaries hold authorizations to provide intrastate telecommunications in the following states:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah,
Virginia and Washington.
6 47 C.F.R. § 63.03(b)(2)(i).
control on the 31st day after the date of this notice.7 Comments should be filed using the Commission’s
Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking
Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998).
§
Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the
ECFS: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/.
In addition, e-mail one copy of each pleading to each of the following
:1) The Commission’s duplicating contractor, Best Copy and Printing, Inc., fcc@bcpiweb.com;
phone: (202) 488-5300; fax: (202) 488-5563;
2) Tracey Wilson, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau,
tracey.wilson@fcc.gov;
3) Dennis Johnson, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau,
dennis.johnson@fcc.gov;
4) Jodie May, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, jodie.may@fcc.gov;
5) Christopher J. Sova, Competition Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau,
christopher.sova@fcc.gov;
6) David Krech, Policy Division, International Bureau, david.krech@fcc.gov; and
7) Jim Bird, Office of General Counsel, jim.bird@fcc.gov.
Filings and comments are available for public inspection and copying during regular business
hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-A257,
Washington, D.C. 20554. They may also be purchased from the Commission’s duplicating contractor,
Best Copy and Printing, Inc., Portals II, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CY-B402, Washington, D.C. 20554;
telephone: (202) 488-5300; fax: (202) 488-5563; e-mail: fcc@bcpiweb.com; url: www.bcpiweb.com.
People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities
(braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (tty).
For further information, please contact Tracey Wilson at (202) 418-1394 or Christopher Sova at
(202) 418-1868.
- FCC -
7 Such authorization is conditioned upon receipt of any other necessary approvals from the Commission in
connection with the proposed transaction.
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