Frontier plans major upgrade

By Chris Pugh
Connect Ohio

Frontier Communications will be making major investments to expand broadband service throughout various areas of Ohio after completion of the company’s purchase of Verizon’s landline customer accounts in the state.

Dave Davidson, Frontier Senior Vice President and General Manager for Ohio, said the company has made a number of commitments in the state, including:

- Expanding broadband availability to 85 percent of households within the Frontier service territory by Dec. 31, 2013. The current broadband availability in these areas is approximately 60 percent.

- Making capital investments of at least $110 per access line or a minimum of $50 million per year for each of the next three years.

- Capping basic local telephone rates in Frontier’s service territory at current levels until broadband deployment reaches 85 percent of the households in the Frontier Ohio service territory.

- Retaining the 1,000 to 1,100 existing Verizon employees in Ohio after the acquisition. This includes employees at the Marion Call Center and Norwalk Dispatch Center.

After the acquisition, the company will serve parts of 77 Ohio counties.

“Frontier Communications’ acquisition of Verizon land lines is a positive step for residents and businesses within Southeast Ohio because of their commitment to invest millions of dollars in infrastructure,” Connect Ohio Southeast Region State Operations Manager Bart Winegar said. “This means broadband services will be extended further into unserved areas and businesses will have enhanced product offerings.”