Not long ago Windstream Communications CEO Jeff Gardner said the credit crunch and other financial concerns might scare off a budding trend toward consolidation in the independent telco sector, even though such consolidation made sense. That may still be the case, but one analyst on Windstream's third-quarter earnings call last week pointed out that the stock prices of many rural local exchange carriers were falling during the third quarter, which might make deals more favorable. Independent telco Surewest said last week that it was interested in buying other regional telcos.
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