FCC Approves Sale of TDS Networks in Western Colorado

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2025 – The Federal Communications Commission has approved the sale of Delta County Tele-Comm, Inc., owned by TDS Telecommunications, to Elevate, a Western Colorado communications company

The trade, valued at $18 million, gave Elevate all the rights and shares to Delta County Tele-Comm. The transaction gives Elevate access to more customers and continued federal support in western Colorado, while TDS Telecom exits a rural market it no longer prioritizes. 

TDS Telecom CFO Kris Bothfeld told Wall Street analysts in a call May 2 that the company’s subscriber count was around 2,000, and is able to make the $18 million from the sale.

“These were markets that were very isolated copper markets, no economic path to fiber,” Bothfeld said. This isolated market in Western Colorado was announced to be sold in February, with a final close on the sale by the end of the second quarter. 

Under FCC rules, telecommunications carriers seeking to transfer assets or corporate control in mergers and acquisitions must first receive approval from the FCC.