Verizon's Pending Sale of Rural Landlines:
To clarify any doubts regarding the transfer of services from Verizon to Frontier Communications. I would like to share information that I have learned regarding this upcoming business agreement and to lend my support to this agreement.
The transaction includes all of Verizon's landlines in 14 states: Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as property in northern California. High speed internet, long distance and FiOS cable TV are also included if Verizon is providing those services today.
Verizon Wireless is not part of the transaction. Over 11,000 Verizon employees in the 14 states who support these services today will transition to Frontier.
Verizon billing systems will be used after the close to help insure the transition is seamless to customers. Frontier has been around for over 70 years and today operates in 24 states with over 2.3 million access lines. They serve many rural properties as well as small to medium size cities like Rochester, NY, Burnsville, MN a suburb of Minneapolis and Oak Grove, CA outside Sacramento in the Silicon Valley. These areas are very similar to properties being acquired in Washington State.
Frontier operates today in: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New York, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Utah.
Frontier has a strong local focus with a "Customer First" performance culture. Their local manager business model places General Managers throughout a state. These people live locally, are responsible for quality customer service and community based partnerships.
Frontier has deployed broadband to more than 90% of their footprint in the 24 states they serve today. By comparison, Verizon, with a different business model, has only about 62% broadband penetration in its states. Frontier will bring their broadband model to Washington's rural communities.
Frontier's commitment to broadband deployment in rural areas will boost economic development and support tele-medicine, distance learning, schools and libraries.
Frontier will honor all current existing bargaining agreements with unions in place at the time of the close. To date, the transaction has been approved by Utility Commissions in NV, SC and CA. The transaction in Washington is expected to close during the 2nd Qtr. of 2010.
