Frontier (NYSE: FTR) is sticking to its word to increase broadband availability with Oregon and Washington state being the latest beneficiaries of this drive. The service provider's broadband drive has been a challenge as it's been taking place on lines that Verizon (NYSE: VZ) long abandoned before selling them to Frontier last July.
In Oregon, Frontier said it had spent over $5.5 million since July 2010 to make broadband service available to an additional 14,300 homes and businesses in 21 communities in Columbia, Coos, Curry, Jackson, Josephine, Marion, Union and Wallowa counties.
News of the broadband expansion in Oregon comes amidst a hotbed of controversy for Frontier. When Frontier purchased Verizon's rural lines last year, the package deal included FiOS Fiber to the Home (FTTH), including data and video, but moves to dramatically increase FiOS TV rates and new installation fees to $500 illustrates a clear desire by the service provider to leave the TV business.
Likewise, in the state of Washington, Frontier has invested over $5.2 million since July 2010 to increase DSL network availability. At the end of March, Frontier said it had extended DSL to an additional 14,100 households and businesses in 21 communities in Chelan, Clark, Douglas, Grant, Grays Harbor, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Whatcom, Whitman and Yakima counties.
Although it did not reveal any specifics, Frontier did say that it had made upgrades to its backbone network and in the last mile to offer customers higher DSL speeds in both markets.
For more:
- see the Oregon release
- and the Washington state release
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