Frontier requests $55M in broadband stimulus funds

Frontier, unlike its independent telco brothers Windstream and CenturyLink, is not too proud to apply for broadband funding through the Obama administration's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The ILEC has submitted two federal broadband applications for funding it wants to use to enhance broadband availability in its West Virginia territory, via the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) and the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

Frontier is requesting $55 million through its two broadband stimulus applications, and the company said it will provide an additional $14 million in matching funds, for a total of $69 million available to expand broadband availability and speeds in West Virginia. The first application covers areas where Frontier Communications can operate as an ILEC, while the second application is focused on those where it operates as a CLEC in West Virginia.

But even before it receives a penny of government funding, Frontier has already slated $4 million to enhance broadband connectivity in its Princeton and Charles Town, West Virginia markets. Frontier will install 44 miles of fiber cable to connect its High Speed Internet equipment to Princeton's main switch, and it will install 37 additional miles of fiber in its Charles Town exchange. The end result of these new installations will be enhanced residential and business HSI speeds of up to 6 and 12 Mbps, respectively. What's more, the upgrades will enable Frontier to provide 100 Mbps Metro Ethernet service.

 For more:
- see the official release here

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