PUBLIC VERSION CONFIDENTIAL VERSION FILED UNDER SEPARATE COVER Before the Federal Commtmications Commission Washington D.C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) WCDocketNo.09-197 Federal-State Joint Board ) on Universal Service ) CELLCO PARTNERSIDP d/b/a VERIZON WIRELESS 2010 ELIGIBLE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIER CERTIFICATION AND ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA STUDY AREA CODE (SAC) 1990141 OCTOBER 1, 2010 VERIZO WJRELE John T. Scott, ill Stephen B. Rowell . 1300 I Street NW, Suite 400W Wasbjngton, D:C. 20005 (202) 589-3770 I Formerly SACs 199001 and 199006. PUBLIC VERSION CONFIDENTIAL VERSION FILED UNDER SEPARATE COVER I. INTRODUCTION Pursuant to 47 C.F.R. § 54.209, Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless, on behalf of itself and its subsidiaries and affiliates providing commercial mobile radio service ("CMRS") in the Commonwealth of Virginia (collectively, "Verizon Wireless" or "Company"), submits this 2010 Eligible Telecommunications Carrier ("ETC") Certification and Annual Report and respectfully requests that the Commission certify its continued eligibility to receive high-cost support from the federal universal service fund ("USF") during calendar year 2011. II. CONFIDENTIALITY The data in this report and the attached exhibits represent commercial and financial trade secrets regarding Verizon Wireless' network build-out plans and other matters that are highly sensitive due to the competitive nature of the CMRS industry. Accordingly, Verizon Wireless respectfully requests that the Commission treat this data as confidential and withhold it from public inspection pursuant to 47 C.F.R. §§ 0.457(d)(l) and 0.459. III. BACKGROUND In 2004, the Commission initially designated Alltel Communications, LLC 2 ("Alltel") as an ETC in certain non-rural telephone company wire centers pursuant to 47 U.S.C. § 214(e)(6).3 The Commission subsequently approved the expansion of Alltel's designated service area in 2008 to include certain rural telephone company study areas and individual wire centers.4 2 Formerly named Alltel Communications, Inc. 3 In the Matter of Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Verizon Wireless Communications, Inc. Petitions for Designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia, CC Docket 96-45, 19 FCC Red 20496 (WCB 2004). 4 In the Matter ofHigh-Cost Universal Service Support, Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Alltel Communications, Inc., et al. Petitions for Designation as Eligible PUBLIC VERSION CONFIDENTIAL VERSION FILED UNDER SEPARATE COVER In 2004, the Commission also designated Virginia Cellular, LLC ("Virginia Cellular") as an ETC in certain non-rural telephone company wire centers, rural telephone company study areas and individual rural telephone company wire centers in Virginia pursuant to 47 U.S.C. § 214(e)(6).5 A complete listing of the non-rural telephone company wire centers, rural telephone company study areas and rural telephone company wire centers in which Alltel and Virginia Cellular were designated as ETCs by this Commission is attached as Exhibit A ("Designated Area"). In 2006, Alltel acquired Virginia Cellular's operations in the Commonwealth of Virginia. On January 9, 2009, Cellco Partnership acquired Alltel and each of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including Virginia Cellular. 6 Cellco Partnership and each of its subsidiaries and affiliates, including Alltel and Virginia Cellular, operate collectively under the Verizon Wireless name in Virginia. The facilities and subscribers of each entity have been integrated into the Verizon Wireless operations. Accordingly, on May 28, 2010, the Commission approved a petition for pro forma amendment of the ETC designations held by Alltel and its affiliated legal entities, including Virginia Cellular, to reflect Verizon Wireless as the designated entity in Virginia. 7 Telecommunications Carrier, WC Docket No. 05-337, CC Docket 96-45, 23 FCC Rcd 8834 (2008). 5 In the Matter of Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Virginia Cellular, LLC Petition for Designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier in the Commonwealth of Virginia, CC Docket No. 96-45, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 19 FCC Rcd 1563 (WCB 2004). 6 See In the Matter ofApplications ofCellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless and Atlantis Holdings LLC for Consent to Transfer Control of Licenses, Authorizations and Spectrum Manager and De Facto Transfer Leasing Arrangements, WT Docket No. 08-95, File Nos. 003463892, et al., Memorandum Opinion and Order and Declaratory Ruling, 23 FCC Rcd 17444 (2008) ("Merger Order"). 7 In the Matter ofFederal-State Board on Universal Service, Cellco Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless, Petitions for Pro Forma Amendment of Eligible Telecommunications Carrier Designations in the Commonwealth ofVirginia and the States ofAlabama and North Carolina, WC Docket 09-197, CC Docket 96-45, 25 FCC Rcd 5955 (WCB 2010) ("Pro Forma Order"). 2 PUBLIC VERSION CONFIDENTIAL VERSION FILED UNDER SEPARATE COVER In connection with the Commission's approval of its acquisition of Alltel, Verizon Wireless was required to divest assets and customers within certain markets, including markets in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to closing on the sale of the assets and customers required to be divested, a Management Trustee was appointed to manage the divested markets in Virginia. 8 In addition, for administrative purposes, the Universal Service Administrative Company ("USAC") assigned the operations in Virginia to be retained by Verizon Wireless Study Area Codes ("SAC") 199001 and 199006 and the operations to be divested by Verizon Wireless SAC 199011. In 2009, Alltel filed an annual certification and report with the Commission for the retained operations in Virginia assigned SAC 199001 and SAC 199006 and the Management Trustee separately filed an annual certification and report for the divested operations assigned SAC 199011. Effective June 22,2010, all ofthe assets and customers required to be divested in Virginia were transferred from Verizon Wireless to AT&T Mobility, LLC and the Trust established to operate the divested assets was dissolved. Accordingly, Verizon Wireless does not seek in this filing to certify SAC 199011, which was assigned for administrative purposes only during the period ofthe Management Trust. Subsequently, USAC assigned a new SAC to Verizon Wireless to reflect the amendment and consolidation approved in the Pro Forma Order. Verizon Wireless' Virginia operations are now identified by SAC 199014. IV. VERIZON WIRELESS' ANNUAL REPORT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 54.209(a) 47 C.F.R. § 54.209(a) reqUIres a common carrier previously designated by the Commission as an ETC to report annually certain information no later than October 1 of each 8 Merger Order, ~~ 15, 19, 157-163, Appendix B. 3 PUBLIC VERSION CONFIDENTIAL VERSION FILED UNDER SEPARATE COVER calendar year. Verizon Wireless respectfully submits the following information for the period January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 in satisfaction of the Commission's annual reporting requirement. A. Service Improvement Plan Project Report 47 C.F.R. § 54.209(a)(1) requires an ETC to file a progress report on its previously filed Service Improvement Plan. 47 C.F.R. § 54.209(a)(1) specifically requires: A progress report on its five-year service quality improvement plan, including maps detailing its progress towards meeting its plan targets, an explanation of how much universal service support was received and how it was used to improve signal quality, coverage, or capacity, and an explanation regarding any network improvement targets that have not been fulfilled. The information shall be submitted at the wire center level. On October 1, 2008, Alltel submitted an updated Service Improvement Plan for the five- year period from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2012, as Confidential Exhibit C to its 2008 Certification and Annual Report (the "Service Improvement Plan"). Verizon Wireless' progress report on the Service Improvement Plan for the period January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009 is attached as Confidential Exhibits B-1 and B-2. For purposes of this report, Confidential Exhibit B-1 includes data associated with the retained operations in Virginia, and Confidential Exhibit B-2 contains data associated with the divested operations. The progress report also includes (1) a map attached as Confidential Exhibit C detailing the Company's progress toward meeting its plan targets in 2009,9 (2) an explanation of how much universal service support was received in 2009 and how the support was used to improve signal quality, coverage or capacity, and (3) an explanation regarding network improvement targets that were not met. The progress report is submitted on a wire center-by-wire center basis. 9 The cell site locations and signal coverage depicted on Confidential Exhibit C include only retained operations in Virginia. 4 PUBLIC VERSION CONFIDENTIAL VERSION FILED UNDER SEPARATE COVER Additionally, Verizon Wireless has updated the remaining three years of the Service Improvement Plan as set forth in the attached Confidential Exhibit D. The update includes all ofthe information required by 47 C.F.R. § 54.209(a)(l) for calendar years 2010 through 2012. In 2011, Verizon Wireless will continue to utilize federal high-cost universal service support for the provision, maintenance and upgrading of the facilities and services for which the support is intended consistent with 47 U.S.C. § 254(e) and 47 C.F.R. § 54.7. The projected