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BEFORE THE MINNESOTA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION <br />COMMENTS OF THE <br />MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE <br />DOCKET No. P5542/M-12-1304 <br />I. BACKGROUND <br />A. PROCEDURAL HISTORY OF COMPANY SERVICE AREAS <br />On October 31, 1997, in Docket No. P5542/NA-97-1081, the Commission granted Tekstar <br />Communications, Inc. a certificate of authority to provide facilities based and resold local, and <br />long distance service in the Detroit Lakes exchange where Qwest Corporation dba CenturyLink <br />is currently the ILEC. <br />On December 8, 1998, in Docket No. P5542/1\4-98-1481, the Commission approved the request <br />of Tekstar Communications, Inc. to amend its certificate of authority to include the Battle Lake <br />and Henning exchanges, wherein Qwest Corporation dba CenturyLink is currently the ILEC. <br />On April 26, 1999, in Docket No. P5542/M-99-214, the Commission approved the request of <br />Tekstar Communications, Inc. to amend its certificate of authority to include the exchanges of <br />Wadena, Mahnomen, Staples, Fergus falls, Hawley, Bemidji and Cass Lake wherein Qwest <br />Corporation dba CenturyLink is currently the ILEC. <br />B. FACTUAL BACKGROUND OF CURRENT PETITION <br />On November 29, 2012, Tekstar Communications, Inc. filed a petition to amend its existing <br />certificate of authority and provide facilities based service in the exchanges in the Twin Cities <br />Rate Center where Qwest dba CenturyLink QC, Citizens Telecommunications of Minnesota, <br />Inc., and Frontier Communications of Minnesota, Inc. are currently the Incumbent Local <br />Exchange Carriers (ILECs); in the exchanges of Lindstrom, Scandia Marine and Taylors Falls <br />where Citizens Telecommunications of Minnesota, Inc. is currently the ILEC; the exchanges of <br />Henderson, LeCenter and Montgomery where Frontier Communications of Minnesota, Inc. is <br />