Group asks agency to nix phone deal

A consumer advocacy group is asking the Federal Communications Commission to reject Frontier Communications' plan to buy telephone lines from Verizon in West Virginia and 13 other states.

The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates says the risks of the $8.6 billion deal outweigh potential benefits. The group says the move puts customers at risk of being served by a company that lacks the resources to make necessary improvements to local facilities and to expand broadband Internet access...