The ink may be barely dry on CenturyLink's move to acquire Colorado-based Qwest Communications, but already local Colorado businesses are nervous that the impending deal will mean lost jobs and poor phone service.
Their fear is rooted in the outcomes of the purchases last year of other local non-telecom companies Coors Beer and Frontier Airlines by out of state companies--MillerCoors and Indianapolis-based Republic Airways Holdings respectively.
Because the new company will be controlled by an out of state entity in Louisiana, local business owners like Steve Weil, president of Rockmount Ranch Wear, believe it will be out of touch with the needs of the local communities that Qwest currently serves.
"We will be losing many high-paying jobs," Weil said. "What will replace those jobs locally? I know of nothing." Weil added that because the company will be even bigger, he thinks the community will see a decrease in phone service quality and customer care.
For more:
- Reuters has this article
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