FCC Taking Comment on Verizon-Carolina West Deal as Rural Carrier Plans to Shutter Service
Carolina West is planning to shut down Sept. 30, though opposition is due Oct. 8
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2026 – Federal regulators are taking comment on Verizon’s acquisition of Carolina West Wireless’s spectrum, as the rural carrier plans to end service Sept. 30.
That’s two days after comments on the transaction are due. The companies told the Federal Communications Commission that Carolina West would keep its radios online and provide roaming service until the deal cleared agency review and closed.
Verizon is acquiring Carolina West’s spectrum and network assets, and Carolina West is going to wind down its operations and end service. Customers will have to switch to Verizon or another carrier.
The companies announced the deal in June and didn’t disclose the financial terms. Carolina West said in a separate filing it estimated FCC approval could come as soon as October, and the deal would close “soon thereafter.”
In 2024, Carolina West had asked the FCC for subsidies to support operational expenses for rural carriers, a request a rural carrier trade group reiterated when the Verizon deal was announced.
Carolina West said that amid declining roaming revenue from the national carriers, it was keeping money-losing towers online to avoid creating dead zones.
“The wireless industry increasingly requires greater scale and investment to deliver the next generation of connectivity,” Carolina West CEO Slayton Stewart said in a statement when the deal was announced. “We believe our customers and communities will benefit from continued innovation, expanded resources, and the strong network performance they rely on every day.”
Verizon told the FCC it would “fill in a gap in its coverage” by acquiring Carolina West’s spectrum. That includes C-band, 3.45 GigaHertz (GHz), 3.5 GHz, 600 MHz, and lower 700 MHz licenses, among others.
The FCC’s Friday public notice seeking comment on the deal said that at least 29 of the 37 counties at issue would get extra scrutiny, since spectrum there would be concentrated in Verizon’s hands.
Other recent spectrum deals have also triggered that review, and the FCC has been allowing them to proceed. Under FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, the agency hasn’t found exceeding its spectrum screen to be anticompetitive.
Carolina West is looking to relinquish its status as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier, a common carrier that can receive FCC subsidies, in North Carolina as part of the deal. The company said it should continue to receive the FCC subsidies it participates in until the closing date.
Comments on the deal are due by Sept. 28, and opposition is due Oct. 8.
Wireless Estimator reported in June that NATE, which represents wireless contractors, wanted contractor protection conditions attached to any FCC approval. The two parties have an existing agreement, required by FCC approval of Verizon’s acquisition of Frontier, but Wireless Estimator reported earlier this year that disagreements were still arising over contract bidding.
