DA 12-411
Released: March 15, 2012
DOMESTIC SECTION 214 APPLICATION FILED FOR THE TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF ONE WORLD TELECOM, LLC
NON-STREAMLINED Pleading Cycle Established
WC Docket No. 12-65
Comments Due: March 29, 2012
Reply Comments Due: April 5, 2012
On March 1, 2012, One World Telecom, LLC (One World Telecom, or the Applicant) filed an application pursuant to section 63.03 of the Commission’s rules[1] for the transfer of control of One World Telecom. This transaction closed, without prior authorization from the Commission, on January 1, 2006.[2]
One World Telecom, a Florida limited liability company, was formed to effectuate a joint venture between One World Telecom Inc. (OWT), a Florida corporation, and Business Telecommunications services, Inc. (BTS), a Florida corporation. As part of the proposed transaction, the section 214 authority and operations of OWT were transferred into One World Telecom. Today, One World Telecom provides pin-free interstate prepaid services, on a resale basis, tailoring its service offerings to immigrant communications.[3] Customers register the phone numbers from which their calls will be made and using ANI recognition, One World Telecom associates each call with the correct prepaid account. One World Telecom also has a subsidiary operating company, YO LLAMO, LLC, which provides interexchange services to customers in Florida.
Prior to consummation of the transaction, OWT was wholly-owned by Laurent Lamothe, a citizen of Haiti. Effective January 1, 2006, OWT and Laurent Lamothe consummated a transaction that consisted of: 1) Laurent Lamothe transferring fifty percent of his interest in OWT to Patrice Baker, a citizen of Haiti; 2) OWT and BTS established jointly-held direct ownership of a subsidiary, One World Telecom; and 3) the telecommunications authority and section 214 operations of OWT were transferred into One World Telecom. As a result of these changes, fifty percent ownership of the new licensee, One World Telecom, was held directly by OWT and indirectly, in equal shares, by Laurent Lamothe and Patrice Baker. The other fifty percent ownership of One World Telecom was held directly by BTS. BTS is wholly owned by BTS Group, Inc., a Delaware holding company, which in turn is owned by Rafael Olloqui and Ricardo Olloqui, both citizens of Spain. BTS Group, Inc. holds section 214 authority and has three wholly-owned subsidiaries, BTS, ADMA Telecom, Inc. and BTS Global, Inc., which operate pursuant to the BTS Group, Inc. international authority.[4] BTS provides international services, primarily on a wholesale basis. ADMA Telecom, Inc. provides prepaid calling card services, which are almost exclusively international, to consumers in ethnic markets. Similarly, BTS Global, LLC is organized to provide international prepaid calling cards.
Domestic Section 214 Application Filed for the Transfer of Control of
One World Telecom, LLC, WC Docket No. 12-65 (filed Mar. 1, 2012).
GENERAL INFORMATION
The application referenced herein has been found, upon initial review, to be acceptable for filing as a non-streamlined application. The Commission reserves the right to return any application if, upon further examination, it is determined to be defective and not in conformance with the Commission’s rules and policies. Interested parties may file comments on or before March 29, 2012, and reply comments on or before April 5, 2012. All filings concerning matters referenced in this Public Notice should refer to DA 12-411 and WC Docket No. 12-65.
Under the Commission’s procedures for the submission of filings and other documents,[5] submissions in this matter may be filed electronically (i.e., though ECFS) or by hand delivery.
- Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2/ or the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
- Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number.
Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
- All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St., SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes must be disposed of before entering the building.
- Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743.
- U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington DC 20554.
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).
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) 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.
For further information, please contact Tracey Wilson at (202) 418-1394 or Dennis Johnson at (202) 418-0809.
– FCC –
[1] 47 C.F.R § 63.03; see 47 U.S.C. § 214. Applicants are also filing an application for a transfer of control associated with authorization for international services. Any action on this domestic section 214 application is without prejudice to Commission action on other related, pending applications.
[2] One World Telecom also filed requests for special temporary authority (STA) with the International and Wireline Competition Bureaus to allow it to continue to provide service to customers while its section 214 applications are pending. On March 15, 2012, the Wireline Competition Bureau granted the STA for the domestic authorization for a period of 60 days. A grant of the application will be without prejudice to any enforcement action by the Commission for non-compliance with the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, or the Commission’s rules.
[3] One World Telecom’s most recent 499-A filing indicates that it provides service in Florida.
[4] These subsidiaries already existed at the time of the 2006 transaction that is the subject of this filing.
[5] See Implementation of Interim Electronic Filing Procedures for Certain Commission Filings, Order, 16 FCC Rcd 21483 (2001); see also FCC Announces a New Filing Location for Paper Documents and a New Fax Number for General Correspondence, Public Notice, 16 FCC Rcd 22165 (2001); Reminder: Filing Locations for Paper Documents and Instructions for Mailing Electronic Media, Public Notice, 18 FCC Rcd 16705 (2003).