Item 405 of
Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and no disclosure will be contained,
to
the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information
statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any
amendment to this Form 10-K. x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.
See
the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
|
Large
accelerated
filer o |
|
Accelerated
filer o
|
|
Non-accelerated
filer o
(Do
not check if a smaller reporting
company) |
|
Smaller
reporting
company x |
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes o No x
The
aggregate market value of the voting and nonvoting common shares of our common
stock held by non-affiliates as of September 28, 2007 (the last business day
of
the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter):
$5,991,121
As
of
June 16, 2008, the Company had 775,821,796 shares of its common stock, $0.001
par value per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions
of the Company’s Proxy Statement for the 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are
incorporated by reference in Part III.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
|
ITEM
NUMBER AND CAPTION
|
PAGE
|
|||
|
PART
I
|
|
|||
|
Item
1.
|
Business
|
|
||
|
Item
1A.
|
Risk
Factors
|
|
||
|
Item
1B.
|
Unresolved
Staff Comments
|
|
||
|
Item
2.
|
Properties
|
|
||
|
Item
3.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
|
||
|
Item
4.
|
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
|
|
||
|
PART
II
|
|
|||
|
Item
5.
|
Market
for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder
Matters
|
|
||
|
Item
6.
|
Selected
Financial Data
|
|
||
|
Item
7.
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operation
|
|
||
|
Item
7A.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
|
|
||
|
Item
8.
|
Financial
Statements
|
|
||
|
Item
9.
|
Changes
in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial
Disclosure
|
|
||
|
Item
9A.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
|
||
|
Item
9B.
|
Other
Information
|
|
||
|
|
||||
|
PART
III
|
|
|||
|
Item
10.
|
Directors,
Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
|
|
||
|
Item
11.
|
Executive
Compensation
|
|
||
|
Item
12.
|
Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related
Stockholder Matters
|
|
||
|
Item
13.
|
Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director
Independence
|
|
||
|
Item
14.
|
Principal
Accountant Fees and Services
|
|
||
|
Item
15.
|
Exhibits
and Financial Statement Schedules
|
|
-
2
-
PART
I
SPECIAL
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties. The statements contained in this document that are
not
purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section
27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934, or the Exchange Act, including without limitation statements regarding
our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding our business.
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements about our
business including, but not limited to, the level of our expenditures and
savings for various expense items and our liquidity in future periods. We may
identify these statements by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,”
“continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,”
“potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and other similar
expressions. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based
on information available to us on the date hereof, and we assume no obligation
to update any such forward-looking statements, except as may otherwise be
required by law. Our actual results could differ materially from those
anticipated in these forward-looking statements.
Item
1. Business
The
Company
We
are a
holding company with subsidiaries in the pay telephone and online gaming
industries and an affiliate in the software industry. Although classified as
discontinued operations, we still own an integrated telecommunications business.
We previously owned broadband wireless, telecommunications and integrated data
communication services companies which delivered a comprehensive suite of voice
and data communications services, including local exchange, long distance,
enhanced data, Internet, wireless and broadband services to end user customers.
At June 30, 2007, we marketed and sold our integrated communications services
through nine branch offices in seven states and we serviced over 123,000 billed
accounts representing over 211,000 equivalent subscriber lines including
approximately 110,000 local and long-distance telephone lines, approximately
38,000 dial-up lines, approximately 5,000 DSL lines, approximately 25,000 fixed
and mobile wireless lines, approximately 6,000 cellular lines and the remaining
are other Internet-related accounts. We owned and operated approximately 22,200
payphones located predominantly in 44 states and the District of Columbia.
Most
of our subscribers are residential customers.
Historically,
our revenues have been generated through three of our four business reporting
segments:
|
Wireless
Networks
|
Our
broadband wireless network deployment efforts had been conducted
by our
wholly owned subsidiary, NeoReach, Inc., (“NeoReach”), and its subsidiary,
Kite Networks, Inc. (“Kite Networks,” formerly, NeoReach Wireless, Inc.).
This segment also included the operations of Kite Broadband, LLC
(“Kite
Broadband”), a wireless broadband Internet service provider located in
Ridgeland, Mississippi.
|
-
3
-
|
Voice Services
|
Our
voice services segment has been led by CloseCall America, Inc.
(“CloseCall”), a competitive local exchange carrier (“CLEC”, which is a
term applied under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to local telephone
companies which compete with incumbent local telephone companies)
based in
Stevensville, Maryland; American Fiber Network, Inc. (“AFN”), a CLEC based
in Overland Park, Kansas; and Davel Communications, Inc. (“Davel”), an
independent payphone provider based in Cleveland, Ohio. CloseCall
offered
our customers a full array of telecommunications products and services
including local, long-distance, 1-800-CloseCall anytime/anywhere
calling,
digital wireless, high-speed telephone (voice over IP), and dial-up
and
DSL Internet services. AFN is licensed to provide local access, long
distance and/or Internet services throughout the United States. Davel
has
been one of the largest independent payphone operators in the United
States.
|
|
Internet Services
|
Our
Internet services segment included DFW Internet Services, Inc. (“DFW”,
doing business as Nationwide Internet), an Internet services provider
(“ISP”) based in Irving, Texas, its acquired Internet service provider
subsidiaries and InReach Internet, Inc. (“InReach”), a full service ISP
located in Stockton, California that we acquired on November 1, 2005.
Our
Internet services segment provided dial-up and broadband Internet
access, web-hosting services, and related Internet services to business
and residential customers in many states.
|
|
Corporate
|
Our
corporate reporting segment serves as the holding company of the
operating
subsidiaries that are divided among the other three business reporting
segments, provides senior executive and financial management, and
performs
corporate-level accounting, financial reporting, and legal functions.
Occasionally, its employees may provide services to customers resulting
in
the recognition of consulting service revenues. This segment also
includes
our Internet gaming subsidiary, ProGames Network, Inc. (“ProGames”) that
we founded in December 2005.
|
Prior
to
January 2004, we were a development stage company. Although we were incorporated
only eight years ago, we have undergone a number of changes in our business
strategy and organization. In June 2001, we focused our business on the
integration and marketing of complete mobile information solutions to meet
the
needs of mobile professionals. In April 2002, we acquired NeoReach and shifted
our focus toward solutions supporting the third generation wireless market
that
provides broadband to allow faster wireless transmission of data, such as the
viewing of streaming video in real time. We shifted our business strategy in
December 2003 with a new management team, expanding significantly the scope
of
our business activity to include Internet access services, local and long
distance telephone services and the ownership and operation of payphones. In
2005, we began to invest in the business of deploying broadband wireless
networks and providing wireless network access services in wireless access
zones
to be primarily located in municipality-sponsored areas. As indicated above,
we
entered these businesses primarily through acquisitions. We completed twenty-two
(22) acquisitions during this period. Accordingly, our experience in operating
the acquired businesses was limited.
Mobilepro
Corp. (“Mobilepro”) was incorporated under the laws of Delaware in July 2000
and, at that time, was focused on the integration and marketing of complete
mobile information solutions that satisfied the needs of mobile professionals.
In June 2001, Mobilepro merged with and into CraftClick.com, Inc.
(“CraftClick”), with CraftClick remaining as the surviving corporation. The name
of the surviving corporation was subsequently changed to Mobilepro Corp. on
July
9, 2001. CraftClick had begun to cease its business operations in October 2000,
and ultimately disposed of substantially all of its assets in February
2001.
-
4
-
On
March
21, 2002, Mobilepro entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with NeoReach,
a private Delaware company, pursuant to which a newly formed, wholly owned
subsidiary of Mobilepro merged into NeoReach in a tax-free transaction. The
merger was consummated on April 23, 2002. As a result of the merger, NeoReach
became a wholly owned subsidiary of Mobilepro.
DFW
was
the principal operating subsidiary within our Internet services division. On
January 20, 2004, we acquired DFW. After that time we acquired nine additional
Internet service businesses that operated as subsidiaries of DFW, and on
November 1, 2005 we acquired the business of InReach.
On
October 15, 2004, we closed our acquisition of CloseCall. One month later,
we
closed our acquisition of Davel. On June 30, 2005, we acquired AFN.
In
June
2005, we participated in the formation of Kite Broadband, a wireless broadband
Internet service provider, resulting in the 51% ownership of this venture.
On
January 31, 2006, we acquired the remaining 49% of Kite Broadband and 100%
of
the outstanding common stock of Kite Networks, Inc.
On
March
31, 2006, we merged Kite Networks, Inc. with and into NeoReach Wireless, Inc.
and changed the name of the combined entity to Kite Networks, Inc.
On
July
8, 2007 we sold our interests in Kite Broadband, Kite Networks and Neoreach.
See
discussion below concerning The Sale of the Wireless Business to
Gobility.
On
June
30, 2007, the Company entered into an agreement to sell the CLEC and ISP
Businesses to United Systems Access, Inc. (“USA”, and the “USA Agreement”). The
closing of the ISP Businesses occurred on July 18, 2007. The closing of the
sale
of the CLEC Business to USA has not occurred. See discussion below concerning
The Sale of the ISP and CLEC Businesses to USA Telecom.
During
June and September 2007 the Company entered into a series of transactions to
sell the majority of its pay telephones. See discussion below concerning the
Sale of the Payphone Assets.
Our
principal executive offices are located at 6701 Democracy Boulevard, Suite
202,
Bethesda, MD 20817 and our telephone number at that address is (301) 571-3476.
We maintain a corporate Web site at www.mobileprocorp.com. We make available
free of charge through our Web site our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those
reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or
furnish such material with or to the SEC. The contents of our Web site are
not a
part of this report. The SEC also maintains a Web site at www.sec.gov that
contains reports, proxy statements, and other information regarding
Mobilepro.
Geographic
Markets
Through
our online gaming business, we provide service to customers located throughout
the United States. Our pay telephone business is concentrated in the State
of
Ohio. Historically, certain portions of our consolidated business have been
concentrated in certain geographic markets. For example, the business of
CloseCall was concentrated in the mid-Atlantic region of the country. The Davel
payphones had been located across the United States approximately 60% of the
payphones were located in warm climate states of the southwest, southeast and
west; approximately 40% of the payphones were located in midwest, northwest,
and
northeast sections of the country, with usage during the winter months thereby
negatively affected by the cold climate. The Internet services business
previously provided service to customers primarily located in the states of
Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Washington and
California.
Going
Concern Uncertainty
Our
business has historically lost money. Our accumulated deficit at March 31,
2008
was $95,632,847. In the years ended March 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, we sustained
net losses of $18,361,602, $45,898,288 and $10,176,407, respectively. Over
this
three-year period, most of the acquired businesses experienced declining
revenues. Although restructuring measures controlled other operating expenses,
the Company was unable to reduce the corresponding costs of services. In
addition, the Company funded the start-up and operations of the municipal
wireless networks and online gaming businesses without these companies achieving
expected revenues. As a result, the amounts of cash used in operations during
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 was $3,558,996.
-
5
-
In
April
2007, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had decided to explore
potential strategic alternatives for the entire Company, and that it had
received inquiries from potential buyers regarding the purchase of portions
of
its business. This initiative was undertaken with the goals of maximizing the
value of the Company’s assets, returning value to the Company’s stockholders and
eliminating the Company’s debt, particularly amounts payable to YA Global.
Because
the cash required to fund the continuing operating losses and to complete the
build-out of planned municipal wireless networks exceeded the Company’s
available capital, in December 2006, the Company engaged an investment banking
firm to assist in evaluating strategic alternatives for the wireless networks
business conducted by its Kite Networks and Kite Broadband subsidiaries. Efforts
to secure investment capital for this business or to find a willing buyer
resulted in the Company selling these companies to Gobility, Inc. (“Gobility”)
for $2 million paid with the issuance of a convertible debenture to Mobilepro.
Despite obtaining lease financing and deferring payments to several large
vendors, the Company was required to fund the operations of these businesses
through the date of the sale.
Gobility
expected to raise capital for its operating purposes from an identified source
pursuant to a funding commitment letter that was presented to the Company at
closing. Because this funding has not been obtained, Gobility has been unable
to
fund its operations including the payment of amounts due under a series of
capital equipment leases and other equipment-related obligations. On the date
of
the sale to Gobility, the aggregate amount of this debt included in the balance
sheet of Kite Networks was approximately $6,111,000. Because the equipment
leases and other equipment purchases were co-signed by Mobilepro, if Kite
Networks fails to pay the leases, the Company could be required to pay this
debt. At March 31, 2008, the aggregate amounts recorded on the consolidated
balance sheet for the lease obligations, accrued interest, and accounts payable
were $3,569,518, $342,592 and $1,571,978, respectively. The Company has also
recorded the certificates of deposits securing the lease obligations of
$937,664.
On
March
10, 2008, Gobility sold the assets of the wireless network in Longmont,
Colorado, and the Company received the proceeds in the form of promissory notes
totaling $1,800,000. The Company continues to cooperate with Gobility in its
efforts to sell the remaining assets of Kite Networks and to satisfy the
obligations relating to the leases and other equipment or to otherwise
restructure the lease payments so that payment can be made out of the sale
proceeds. In the event Gobility is unsuccessful in its attempts to sell the
assets and satisfy the lease obligations, the Company could be required to
make
the payments on all or some of the leases and the accounts payable for the
other
equipment. One leasing company has sued the Company for payment under a lease
in
which Kite/Gobility have defaulted. See Item 3. - “Legal
Proceedings”.
In
March
2007, the Company announced that it had signed a definitive agreement for the
merger of ProGames, its online gaming subsidiary, with and into Winning Edge
International, Inc. Consummation of the transaction was subject to a number
of
closing conditions including the arrangement of financing that would have
sustained the operations of the combined entity. The anticipated financing
was
not procured. As a result, the merger agreement was terminated and the Company
continues to fund the operating costs of ProGames. The Company is currently
exploring strategic alternatives with respect to its investment in ProGames.
The
net loss incurred by ProGames in the twelve months ended March 31, 2008 was
$679,100.
The
operating losses incurred by Davel adversely affected the consolidated operating
results of the Company. However, most of the payphones have been sold to
unaffiliated payphone operators in the current year. In June 2007, the Company
sold approximately 730 operating payphones and received in excess of $200,000
in
cash proceeds. On September 7, 2007, Davel sold approximately 21,405 payphones
to Sterling Payphones, LLC (“Sterling”). Under the terms of the sale agreement,
the Company received $50,000 in cash, $1,839,821 in cash was paid to its secured
lender, YA Global Investments, L.P. (“YA Global”, f/k/a Cornell Capital
Partners, L.P.) to reduce the amount of principal and interest owed under the
outstanding convertible debentures issued to YA Global, and, pursuant to the
sale agreement, other amounts were placed in escrow to pay certain key vendors
of Davel and to satisfy potential indemnification claims. Sterling also assumed
certain liabilities of Davel. Effective September 30, 2007, Davel sold an
additional 300 payphones for approximately $85,000. After these sales, Davel’s
remaining operations have been significantly reduced. Davel’s remaining
operations are being continued and Davel is pursuing the recovery of certain
claims including the AT&T, Sprint and Qwest claims described in Item 3
–“Legal
Proceedings”.
-
6
-
The
Company received letters of interest regarding the acquisition of the Close
Call, AFN and the Internet service provider businesses. On June 30, 2007, the
Company entered into an agreement to sell the CLEC and ISP Businesses to United
Systems Access, Inc. The total purchase price of $27.7 million ($30.0 million
face value) included cash proceeds of approximately $21.9 million and
convertible preferred stock with an $8.1 million face value and originally
valued for accounting purposes at $5.8 million. The sale of the ISP Business
closed on July 18, 2007 resulting in the Company’s receipt of $500,000 cash, the
payment of $2,000,000 to YA Global, and the Company’s receipt of a promissory
note for $2,000,000 and 8,100 shares of convertible preferred stock of USA.
The
payment to YA Global retired the $1.1 million promissory note issued in May
2007
and approximately $25,000 in related accrued interest and convertible debenture
principal and accrued interest of approximately $393,000 and $482,000,
respectively. On January 3, 2008, the Company entered into an amendment to
the
$2,000,000 promissory note due from USA. USA made payments of $500,000 each
on
January 4 and January 11, 2008 with the remaining balance of $1,000,000,
together with accrued interest at the rate of 7.75%, due on the earlier of
the
date of the closing of the sale of the CLEC Business or March 31, 2008. Of
the
$1,000,000 of payments, the Company received $125,000 and the remaining $875,000
was used to pay principal and interest on the convertible debentures due to
YA
Global. USA stands in default on the remaining principal balance of $1,000,000
and accrued interest. The Company and USA are in negotiations to resolve the
payment default existing under the promissory note.
On
January 14, 2008, the Company received notice from USA purporting to terminate
the USA Agreement with respect to the sale of the CLEC Business, but provided
that USA remained interested in discussing terms upon which it would complete
the sale. The Company is in communications with USA and disputes the validity
of
the claims alleged for the purported termination, which include the alleged
failure to obtain certain regulatory and contractual approvals and the alleged
breach of certain representations and warranties set forth in the USA Agreement.
The Company believes the purported termination was in bad faith and intends
to
pursue any and all legal and equitable remedies available to it against USA.
Despite the on-going discussions with USA, the Company has re-assumed operating
control of AFN and Close Call and has terminated the agreement to sell its
CLEC
Business to USA. In addition, the Company is currently seeking an alternate
buyer in its efforts to sell the CLEC Business.
With
the
cash proceeds expected to be received by the Company from the sale of the CLEC
Business, the Company intended to retire the remaining amounts owed to YA Global
under the convertible debentures, including accrued interest. The Company has
been in communication with YA Global regarding the impact of USA’s actions and
the Company’s continuing efforts to sell the CLEC Business. If the sale of the
CLEC Businesses is not completed and the Company is unable to generate
sufficient cash to cover operating costs and interest due on the YA Global
debt,
the Company may not have the ability to continue as a going concern. See Item
1A. below - Risk Factors - “Failure to Complete the Sale of the CLEC Businesses
Will Result in Our Inability to Retire the YA Global Debentures”.
To
date,
YA Global has been a significant source of capital for the Company, providing
financing in several forms. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, the
Company borrowed funds under a series of convertible debentures. The total
principal and accrued interest amounts owed to YA Global under the debentures
at
March 31, 2008 was $13,168,944 and $167,370, respectively. Using shares of
its
common stock registered on Form S-3 in November 2006, the Company made principal
and interest payments on the debentures that totaled $4,880,489 during the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, and that totaled $1,967,908 from April 2007
through May 2007. However, the supply of shares registered that related to
the
convertible debentures has been exhausted and the Company was unable to make
the
weekly principal and interest payments in accordance with the terms of the
convertible debentures as amended through January 16, 2008. As a result, we
are
delinquent with respect to the convertible debentures. We are in negotiations
with YA Global, which has verbally granted forebearance, and expect to be able
to obtain a revised payment schedule and an extension of the maturity date.
However, in the event we are unable to execute on an extension of the maturity
date and other terms, YA Global could declare the debt to be in default and
demand immediate payment of all outstanding principal and interest. In addition,
interest would accrue at the default rate of 24% per annum and YA Global could
potentially foreclose on the Company’s assets
-
7
-
The
Company’s financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which
contemplates the realization of assets and settlement of liabilities and
commitments based on recorded amounts for the foreseeable future. If
the
Company is unable to obtain an extension in the debt payment terms with YA
Global, fails to permanently eliminate the cash requirements represented by
the
Wireless Networks Business and ProGames, and/or fails to sell the CLEC
Businesses to USA or a new buyer on terms that are acceptable to the Company,
the Company will not have the ability to continue as a going concern without
additional capital and/or collections of significant amounts on claims against
third parties. The consolidated financial statements do not include any
adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Operations
We
have
historically operated in four segments: (1) Wireless Networks, (2) Voice
Services, (3) Internet Services and (4) Corporate. In April 2007, the Company
announced that its Board of Directors had decided to explore potential strategic
alternatives for the entire Company, and that it had received inquiries from
potential buyers regarding the purchase of portions of its business. This
initiative was undertaken with the goals of maximizing the value of the
Company’s assets, returning value to the Company’s stockholders and eliminating
the Company’s debt, particularly amounts payable to YA Global. During fiscal
2008 the Company disposed of its Wireless Networks and Internet Services
segments, as well as the majority of its pay telephones which had been
previously operated in the Voice Services segment. In addition, the Company
entered into an agreement to sell its CLEC businesses, which was subsequently
terminated. The Company is continuing to search for a buyer for its CLEC
Business, which had been previously operated in the Voice Services segment.
The
disposition activities are discussed further below.
The
cash
needs of Kite Networks had been substantially funded through borrowings by
the
Company from YA Global under a variety of debt instruments and over $5 million
in equipment lease financing. Kite Networks has also been provided extended
payment terms by certain significant equipment suppliers. However, we realized
that sufficient funds were not available from these existing sources for Kite
Networks to effectively continue the execution of its business plan. As a
result, we commenced the search for capital as described below during the fourth
quarter of the fiscal year 2007.
In
December 2006, we engaged an investment banking firm to assist in evaluating
strategic alternatives for the wireless networks business conducted by its
Kite
Networks and Kite Broadband subsidiaries. Efforts to secure investment capital
for this business or to find a willing buyer resulted in the sale of the
wireless networks business to Gobility, Inc. (“Gobility”) on July 8, 2007. The
purchase price was $2.0 million, paid with a debenture convertible into shares
of common stock of Gobility. However, under the terms of the debenture, Gobility
was required to raise at least $3.0 million in cash no later than August 15,
2007. This did not occur. As a result of this default by Gobility on the
financing obligation under the debenture, we have the right but not the
obligation to repurchase the wireless networks business with the surrender
of
the debenture and the payment of a nominal additional amount.
Gobility
expected to raise capital for its operating purposes from an identified source
pursuant to a funding commitment letter that was presented to the Company at
closing. Because this funding has not been obtained, Gobility has been unable
to
fund its operations including the payment of amounts due under a series of
capital equipment leases and other equipment-related obligations. On the date
of
the sale to Gobility, the aggregate amount of this debt included in the balance
sheet of Kite Networks was approximately $6,111,000. Because the equipment
leases and other equipment purchases were co-signed by Mobilepro, if Kite
Networks fails to pay the leases, the Company, subject to any defenses it may
have, may be obligated to pay this debt. The Company could also be subject
to
late payment penalties and interest at the default rate.
On
March
10, 2008, Gobility sold the assets of the wireless network in Longmont,
Colorado, and the Company received the proceeds in the form of promissory notes
totaling $1,800,000. In addition, the Company entered into a forebearance
agreement with the principal equipment vendor and agreed to pay the $1,591,978
equipment obligation, with interest at the prime rate, and a related lease
obligation in the principal amount of $149,749. In March 2008, the Company
also
paid one of the leases with an aggregate principal balance of $318,595, plus
accrued interest, by paying $93,000 in cash and applying the $250,000
certificate of deposit that secured the lease relating to the Tempe, Arizona
wireless network. The Company is currently cooperating with Gobility in its
efforts to sell the remaining assets of Kite Networks in order to pay off the
obligations relating to the leases and other equipment. In the event Gobility
is
unsuccessful in its attempts to sell the remaining assets and satisfy the lease
obligations, the Company could be required to make the payments on the remaining
leases. At March 31, 2008, the aggregate amount recorded on the consolidated
balance sheet for the lease obligations, accrued interest, and accounts payable
was $5,484,088. The Company has also recorded the certificates of deposits
securing the lease obligations of $937,664 as assets of companies held for
sale.
-
8
-
The
Sale of the ISP and CLEC Businesses to USA Telecom
We
received letters of interest regarding the acquisition of the CloseCall, AFN
and
the Internet service provider businesses (the “Wireline Businesses”) and several
potential purchasers conducted due diligence activities. This process resulted
in the execution of the USA Agreement to sell the Wireline Businesses to USA.
Pursuant to the USA Agreement, we closed the sale of the Internet service
provider companies to USA on July 18, 2007, and received cash proceeds of
$2,500,000, a promissory note for $2,000,000 and 8,100 shares of preferred
stock
of USA convertible into 7.5% of the fully diluted shares of USA’s common stock
valued at $5,763,893. Simultaneously, we used $2,000,000 of this cash to pay
down principal and accrued interest owed to YA Global under the promissory
note
and debentures.
Completion
of the sale of CloseCall and AFN (the “CLEC Business”) required the receipt of
certain state regulatory approvals before it could be completed. Pursuant to
a
management agreement that was signed in July 2007 (the “USA Management
Agreement”), USA operated the CLEC Business, retained any cash provided by the
operations of these companies and funded any cash requirements of the companies
pending completion of the sale of these companies. In addition, USA was required
to make debenture interest payments to YA Global on the Company’s behalf during
the term of the USA Management Agreement based on an assumed principal balance
of $17.4 million at an interest rate of 7.75%.
Upon
the
close and pursuant to the terms of the USA Agreement, we expected to receive
cash proceeds of $19.4 million, including payment of the $2.0 million promissory
note. On January 3, 2008, the Company entered into an amendment to the
$2,000,000 promissory note due from USA. USA made payments of $500,000 each
on
January 4 and January 11, 2008 with the remaining balance of $1,000,000,
together with accrued interest at the rate of 7.75%, due on the earlier of
the
date of the closing of the sale of the CLEC Business or March 31, 2008. Of
the
$1,000,000 of payments, the Company received $125,000 and the remaining $875,000
was used to pay principal and interest on the convertible debentures due to
YA
Global. USA did not pay the balance due on March 31,2008 and is in default
on
the remaining principal balance of $1,000,000 and accrued interest. The Company
and USA are in negotiations to resolve the payment default existing under the
promissory note.
On
January 14, 2008, the Company received notice from USA purporting to terminate
the USA Agreement with respect to the sale of the CLEC Business, but provided
that USA remained interested in discussing terms upon which it would complete
the purchase. The Company is in communications with USA and disputes the
validity of the claims alleged for the purported termination, which include
the
alleged failure to obtain certain regulatory and contractual approvals and
the
alleged breach of certain representations and warranties set forth in the USA
Agreement. The Company believes the purported termination is in bad faith,
and
should it not be able to resolve this matter to its satisfaction, intends to
pursue any and all legal and equitable remedies available to it against USA.
Despite the on-going discussions with USA, the Company has re-assumed operating
control of AFN and Close Call, its CLEC subsidiaries, and has terminated the
USA
Management Agreement and the sale of the CLEC Business .
The
Company expected to use the cash proceeds from the sale of the CLEC Business
to
retire the YA Global debentures plus the remaining amounts of accrued interest.
If the sale of the CLEC Business is not sold to an alternative buyer on terms
satisfactory to the Company, the Company will not have the ability to continue
as a going concern without a significant restructuring of the YA Global debt.
See Item 1A. below - Risk Factors - “Failure to Complete the Sale of the CLEC
Businesses Will Result in Our Inability to Retire the YA Global Debentures”.
Discontinued
Operations
In
connection with the activities summarized above, we have reclassified the assets
and liabilities of the Wireline Business and the Wireless Networks Business
as
assets and liabilities related to companies held for sale in the consolidated
balance sheets at March 31, 2008. In addition, we have classified the results
of
operations of these companies in discontinued operations in the consolidated
statements of operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, 2007
and
2006.
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9
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Sales
of Payphone Assets
The
Company has also completed a series of transactions to sell a majority of
Davel’s payphones in order to provide cash for operating purposes and additional
retirements of convertible debenture debt. Davel continues to maintain a nominal
number of pay telephones in the State of Ohio.
In
June
2007, we completed the sale of approximately 730 operating payphones to an
unaffiliated payphone operator and received over $200,000 in cash proceeds.
A
gain in the amount of $10,640 was recognized in connection with this
transaction.
In
September 2007, in three transactions, we completed the sale of approximately
21,700 payphones to unaffiliated purchasers. After the direct payment of certain
related liabilities and broker fees in the aggregate amount of approximately
$851,000, and the funding of escrow accounts established for the payment of
vendor obligations and indemnification claims in the aggregate amount of
$1,200,000, proceeds of approximately $1,840,000 were used to retire convertible
debenture debt of approximately $1,672,000 and related accrued interest of
approximately $168,000. A net loss of $2,800,206 was recorded in connection
with
these transactions.
Research
and Development
As
we
have emphasized the growth of the Company through the acquisition of
service-oriented companies, our research and development activities have been
reduced. In fiscal 2008, we did not pursue new research initiatives but rather
looked to harvest the value of the intellectual property portfolio which we
own
via licensing, joint venture and/or sale of certain intellectual property.
Prior
to
its entry into the wireless network business, NeoReach previously conducted
development efforts related to certain wireless antenna and networking
technologies, in particular, ZigBee chip development work. NeoReach also worked
toward developing a semiconductor chip for use in home networking and selected
industrial monitoring applications based on the ZigBee standard. ZigBee is
an
IEEE standard (802.15.4) developed for certain low power, short-range devices.
The scope of this development activity was significantly reduced over the last
few years. In the year ended March 31, 2006, we incurred research and
development costs of approximately $139,000 in connection with this effort
with
the objective of making the technologies ready for sale or licensing on an
OEM
basis. The development of these technologies was unrelated to the deployment,
ownership, and management of the broadband wireless networks and the Company
maintains its interest in this intellectual property
The
ZigBee chip project continues, in our view, to have potential future value
as
ZigBee chips can be used for sensors and other wireless devices, including
potentially as a complement to Wi-Fi. However, shareholders should be advised
that given the limited focus and limited resources we plan to devote to these
initiatives, material revenue should not be expected from this investment.
If
the U.S. patent office were to grant certain patent claims made in our patent
filings with respect to ZigBee and other wireless technologies, we may choose
to
re-focus on these initiatives; however, there can be no assurance that the
U.S.
patent office will act in a prompt manner or, if it does act, that it will
resolve favorably our patent claims. In sum, we do not anticipate that these
activities will represent a meaningful percentage of our revenue in the
future.
NeoReach
filed a total of eight patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office in the areas of “Smart Antenna” technology and RF Transceiver Chip Design
for “Low Noise Amplifier for wireless communications.” As of March 31, 2006, we
had been granted approval of seven patents in the area of “Smart Antenna”
technology and one patent applications was still pending approval.
In
fiscal
year March 31, 2007, we sold the Smart Antenna technology to an unaffiliated
company, receiving $300,000 in cash proceeds.
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10
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Voice
Services
Competitive
Local Exchange Carrier Business
Overview
Our
efforts in the competitive local exchange carrier business have historically
been led by CloseCall, a company that we acquired in October 2004 and AFN,
a
company we acquired in June 2005. CloseCall and AFN offer its customers a full
array of telecommunications products and services including local,
long-distance, 1-800-CloseCall anytime/anywhere calling, digital wireless,
high-speed telephone (voice over Internet protocol, or “VoIP”), and dial-up and
DSL Internet services.
Our
entrance into this business began with two acquisitions consummated in the
summer of 2004. In June 2004, we acquired US1 Telecommunications, Inc. (“US1”),
a long distance provider located in Kansas. In July 2004, we completed our
acquisition of Affinity, a Michigan-based CLEC, and long distance carrier.
The
operations of US1 and Affinity have been integrated into the operations of
AFN
and CloseCall, respectively.
Business
Strategy
As
previously discussed, the Company entered into an agreement with USA to sell,
among other things, its CLEC business. The sale of the CLEC business has not
been consummated and the Company continues to pursue potential buyers for the
CLEC business. See discussion above concerning The Sale of the ISP and CLEC
Businesses to USA Telecom. The Company continues to operate the CLEC business
until such time as a sale transaction can be consummated.
While
the
Company continues to operate the CLEC business its primary objective is to
be a
leading provider of high-quality integrated communications services in each
of
our major service areas, acting as a reseller of local, long distance, wireless,
Internet access and data services to residential customers, small to
medium-sized businesses, and select large business enterprises. The CLEC
business delivers high-value bundled and individual services tailored to the
needs of its customers presented on a single invoice.
When
economically advantageous for us to do so, the CLEC business seeks to bundle
our
integrated communications services. Our targeted customers often will have
multiple vendors for voice and data communications services, each of which
may
be billed separately. Unlike many of these vendors, the CLEC business is able
to
provide a comprehensive package of local telephone, long distance, Internet
access, and other integrated communications services. The success of this
business will be based, in part, on the establishment of effective cross-selling
programs in order to leverage the combined customer base of the voice service
business segment, the effective delivery of such services and the provision
of
excellent customer service.
CloseCall
has focused on the expansion of its telecommunications service offerings and
the
securing of long-term agreements with local exchange carriers. It has five-year
commercial agreements which expire in 2010 with Verizon and AT&T covering
eighteen and thirteen states, respectively. Completion of these agreements
1)
allows the expansion of CloseCall’s overall geographic market, and the expansion
and bundling of service offerings in these states including Florida, and 2)
provides predictability of the pricing of wholesale services provided to us
by
these carriers during the terms of the agreements. CloseCall makes extensive
use
of direct mail programs to market its services to customers. It also uses print,
signage, radio, and television advertising to market services to customers
of
certain local professional sports teams including the Aberdeen Ironbirds,
Frederick Keys, Bowie Baysox, and the Delmarva Shorebirds under contractual
arrangements with the ball clubs. A new focus of CloseCall is to secure
wholesale arrangements with other telecommunications companies that wish to
share CloseCall’s cellular and Blackberry relationships. As of March 31, 2008,
CloseCall provides such services to three other companies.
In
the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2006, we completed two acquisitions that added
revenues, profits and licensed coverage areas to our voice services segment.
On
June 30, 2005, we acquired AFN which added approximately 15,000 customer lines
to our customer base. AFN is focused on four major customer segments - hotels
and resorts, corporate housing, resort-area property management and other
business services. It has developed customized provisioning and billing
processes that enables it to accurately and efficiently meet the unique
requirements of these types of customers. AFN also leverages its service supply
capabilities by providing connection services to payphone telephone operators.
In September 2005, AFN acquired the assets of AllCom USA and their long distance
and T-1 customers, providing an additional customer base for bundled
services.
In
a
transaction that was effective January 1, 2007, CloseCall acquired mobeo®
Wireless reseller assets from TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (“TCS”) including
over 7,000 cellular telephone service contracts and certain related net assets.
This transaction enables CloseCall to sell RIM Blackberry® products and network
access to enterprise and retail subscribers nationwide.
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11
-
Services
This
portion of our voice business segment provides service to over approximately
103,446 equivalent subscriber lines, including approximately 88,381 local and
long distance lines. This business also has approximately 9,675 cell phone
and
Blackberry® subscribers. Despite the acquisition of business subscribers from
TCS, the majority of our customers of CloseCall are residential.
Bundled
Services Approach. The
CLEC
business offers integrated communications services in a high-quality bundle
to
residential customers and small to medium-sized businesses at attractive prices.
When economically advantageous to do so, the CLEC business seeks to bundle
its
integrated communications services. Its targeted customers often will have
multiple vendors for voice and data communications services, each of which
may
be billed separately. It is able to provide a comprehensive package of local
telephone, long distance, Internet access, and other integrated communications
services.
Local
Services.
The
CLEC business offers a wide range of local services, including local access
services, voicemail, universal messaging, directory assistance, call forwarding,
return call, hunting, call pick-up, repeat dialing and speed dialing services.
It provides local services primarily over local connections utilizing Incumbent
Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) facilities.
Long
Distance Services.
The
CLEC business offers both domestic and international switched and dedicated
long
distance services, including “1+” outbound dialing, inbound toll-free and
calling card services. Many of its customers prefer to purchase long distance
services as part of a bundle that includes some of our other integrated
communications services offerings. The CLEC business also offers for convenience
an away from home or business service using our own network platform with
1-800-CloseCall.
Blackberry®
PDA Services. With
the
acquisition of subscribers from TCS and the assignment of the master supply
agreement between TCS and Research in Motion Corporation, CloseCall now can
provide this popular personal data assistant (PDA) service and supply
Blackberry® equipment, accessories, software and support contracts to its
customers.