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Frontier Communications executives outlined the company’s plans for the Verizon wireline systems it intends to acquire – ex parte communications in regulatory jargon – were made public last week.
The meetings confirmed that Frontier will get the retail businesses – “voice, Internet, VoIP and video service”, including FTTH FiOS systems – while Verizon will keep its mobile network and “other businesses”, which presumably include middle mile and commercial fiber. Verizon owns a lot of that in California. Frontier also outlined plans to tap into state and federal subsidies to expand broadband access in rural areas…
[The Frontier representatives] summarized recent action by the FCC implementing CAF II support, and explained that CAF II combined with funding from the California Advanced Services Fund and Frontier’s investment would facilitate and expedite the provision of broadband service in high cost, unserved markets in California. Frontier explained that it intends to deploy Digital Subscriber Line technology to expand broadband, that Frontier would retain Verizon California’s carrier of last resort (COLR) responsibilities, and that customer’s ability to receive Lifeline funding would not be impacted by the transaction.
The representatives left behind a more detailed map showing where Frontier and Verizon systems are in California – useful – and a marketing brochure – not so much – and both are attached to the filing. As might be expected, Frontier’s representatives – which included chief in-house lobbyist and former FCC commissioner Kathleen Abernathy – also reiterated their desire to work with all the “interested parties” that have jumped in.