Frontier Communications Will Invest $310 Million in West Virginia

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2010 –  Frontier Communications will invest $310 million in West Virginia over the next three years. Frontier has recently purchased a large portion of Verizon’s rural phone and DSL lines in 14 states.

This year the firm will invest $30 million, and then spend $85 million in 2011, $73 million in 2012 and $74 million in 2013. Frontier will expend $48 million on broadband deployment by Dec. 31, 2013.

“I have followed this sale closely over the past several months,” West Virginia’s Governor Joe Manchin said.  “I have stayed in regular contact with Frontier, Verizon, the CWA, our citizens and other key stakeholders.  Frontier’s guarantee far exceeds everyone’s expectations for the sale.  With this investment, more people will have access to critical services – like broadband and high speed internet – than was previously anticipated.  This is a great thing for West Virginia.”

This funding will increase the state’s broadband deployment goals which include a recent BTOP grant of $126 Million and $72.4 million which Verizon was ordered to invest by the Public Service Commission.

FCC Chairmen Julius Genachowski said of this new investment: “I am pleased that Frontier’s expansion to additional service areas, facilitated by the FCC last month, will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, the creation of high-tech jobs in West Virginia and other areas around the country, and increased job security for communications workers.”