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===Frontier FiOS===
===Frontier FiOS===
In addition to the purchase of [[Telephone line|copper lines]] from Verizon, Frontier also acquired the fiber-optic system built by Verizon in [[Fort Wayne, Indiana|Fort Wayne]], Indiana, around [[Portland, Oregon]] and in some eastern suburbs of [[Seattle]], Washington.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/18457/|title=Goodbye Verizon FiOS, Hello Frontier Communications|last=Butcher|first=Rob|work=Kirkland Views|date=2010-07-01}}</ref> The company kept the name ''FiOS'' for the fiber systems and licenses it from Verizon. The initial transition was rocky, with Frontier initially claiming that it had no plans for changes after the transition but later attempted to institute a $500 installation fee for new television subscribers, backed out of franchise agreements in some cities in Oregon, and increased rates by 50% in Indiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.multichannel.com/article/232530-Frontier_No_Changes_For_FiOS_DirecTV_Customers_For_9_12_Months.php |title=Frontier: No Changes For FiOS, DirecTV Customers For 9-12 Months - 2009-05-14 18:26:00 &#124; Multichannel News |publisher=Multichannel.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=frontier+to+pull+the+plug+on+fios--1299426460--223-- |title=News and information for McMinnville and Yamhill Valley, Oregon - wine country newspaper |publisher=NewsRegister.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/business/Frontier-plans-substantial-rate-hike-for-FIOS-TV |title=Frontier plans substantial rate hike for FIOS TV |publisher=Wane.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-15}}</ref> Frontier later retracted the rate increases and installation fee but has not reclaimed franchises in the cities that it relinquished and not before losing FiOS TV subscribers.<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://stopthecap.com/2011/08/16/frontiers-fiber-mess-company-losing-fios-subs-landline-customers-but-adds-bonded-dsl/ |title=Updated: Frontier’s Fiber Mess: Company Losing FiOS Subs, Landline Customers, But Adds Bonded DSL |publisher=Stop the Cap! |date=2011-08-16 |accessdate=2012-05-15}}</ref>
In addition to the purchase of [[Telephone line|copper lines]] from Verizon, Frontier also acquired the fiber-optic system built by Verizon in [[Fort Wayne, Indiana|Fort Wayne]], Indiana, around [[Portland, Oregon]] and in some eastern suburbs of [[Seattle]], Washington.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kirklandviews.com/archives/18457/|title=Goodbye Verizon FiOS, Hello Frontier Communications|last=Butcher|first=Rob|work=Kirkland Views|date=2010-07-01}}</ref> The company kept the name ''FiOS'' for the fiber systems and licenses it acquired from Verizon. The initial transition was rocky, with Frontier initially claiming that it had no plans for changes after the transition but later attempted to institute a $500 installation fee for new television subscribers, backed out of franchise agreements in some cities in Oregon, and increased rates by 50% in Indiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.multichannel.com/article/232530-Frontier_No_Changes_For_FiOS_DirecTV_Customers_For_9_12_Months.php |title=Frontier: No Changes For FiOS, DirecTV Customers For 9-12 Months - 2009-05-14 18:26:00 &#124; Multichannel News |publisher=Multichannel.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=frontier+to+pull+the+plug+on+fios--1299426460--223-- |title=News and information for McMinnville and Yamhill Valley, Oregon - wine country newspaper |publisher=NewsRegister.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/business/Frontier-plans-substantial-rate-hike-for-FIOS-TV |title=Frontier plans substantial rate hike for FIOS TV |publisher=Wane.com |date= |accessdate=2012-05-15}}</ref> Frontier later retracted the rate increases and installation fee but has not reclaimed franchises in the cities that it relinquished and not before losing FiOS TV subscribers.<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://stopthecap.com/2011/08/16/frontiers-fiber-mess-company-losing-fios-subs-landline-customers-but-adds-bonded-dsl/ |title=Updated: Frontier’s Fiber Mess: Company Losing FiOS Subs, Landline Customers, But Adds Bonded DSL |publisher=Stop the Cap! |date=2011-08-16 |accessdate=2012-05-15}}</ref>


Frontier FiOS service in most markets operate on the same technology and software as the Verizon FiOS platform.
Frontier FiOS service in most markets operate on the same technology and software as the Verizon FiOS platform.

Revision as of 21:30, 15 October 2015

Frontier Communications Corporation
Company typePublic
Nasdaq: FTR
IndustryTelecommunications
PredecessorPublic Utilities Consolidated Corporation
Founded1935[1]
Headquarters
Stamford, Connecticut
,
U.S.
Key people
Maggie Wilderotter, Executive Chairman
ServicesLocal and long-distance telephone service, Internet access, wireless Internet access, digital phone, DISH satellite TV, fiber-optic Internet, fiber-optic television
Revenue
  • Decrease US$ 4,761.576 million (2013) [2]
  • Decrease US$ 5,011.853 million (2012) [2]
  • Decrease US$ 980.721 million (2013) [2]
  • Increase US$ 987.168 million (2012) [2]
  • Decrease US$ 112.835 million (2013) [2]
  • Decrease US$ 136.636 million (2012) [2]
Total assets
  • Decrease US$ 16,635.484 million (2013) [3]
  • Increase US$ 17,733.631 million (2012) [2]
Total equity
  • Decrease US$ 4,055.481 million (2013) [3]
  • Decrease US$ 4,119.271 million (2012) [3]
Number of employees
Increase 17,800(2011)[4]
SubsidiariesCitizens Cable Company
Citizens Capital Ventures Corporation
Frontier Communications ILEC Holdings
Frontier Subsidiary Telco LLC
Frontier Telephone of Rochester
Southern New England Telephone
SNET America
Websitewww.frontier.com

Frontier Communications Corporation is a telephone company in the United States, mainly serving rural areas and smaller communities. It was known as Citizens Utilities Company until May 2000 and Citizens Communications Company until July 31, 2008.

Frontier is the sixth largest local exchange carrier and the fifth largest provider of digital subscriber line (based on coverage area) in the United States.[5][6] In addition to local and long-distance telephone service, Frontier offers broadband Internet, digital television service, and computer technical support to residential and business customers in 29 states in the United States.[5][7]

History

Telephone line acquisitions

Citizens Utilities began a rapid expansion in 1993, announcing an agreement to acquire 500,000 rural access lines from GTE. In December 1993, it acquired 190,000 lines in four states. Coghest Frontier of DGF City East/West, Contel of the West lines in Utah became part of Citizens Telecommunications of Utah. GTE Northwest lines in Idaho become part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of Idaho. GTE South lines in Tennessee became part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of Tennessee, while lines in West Virginia became part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of West Virginia.

In June 1994, it completed the acquisition of 270,000 lines, formerly part of Contel of New York, which became part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of New York. In November that year, Citizens acquired 38,000 lines. Lines in Arizona, formerly part of Contel of the West, became part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of the White Mountains, while lines in Montana became part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of Montana.

In January 1995, the company acquired 5,000 access lines in California.[8] These lines became a part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of California.[9]

Citizens, in 1994, announced that it would acquire 117,000 telephone lines and cable franchises in eight states from Alltel for $292 million. On June 30, 1995, it acquired two operating companies from Alltel.[10] One of them was in Oregon and merged into Citizens' existing company there. The other, Mountain State Telephone, was in West Virginia and was renamed Citizens Mountain State Telephone. Citizens Mountain State Telephone later absorbed the former GTE operations and took on the Citizens Telecommunications name. On September 30, Citizens completed the acquisition of Alltel's lines in Tennessee, which became a part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of the Volunteer State. On October 31, it completed the acquisition from Alltel of Navajo Communications, which operates lines for the Navajo community in Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

On January 2, 1996, Citizens acquired 3600 lines in Pennsylvania and 20,000 lines in California from Alltel. On April 1 that year, it acquired Alltel Nevada, which included 23,000 telephone lines.[11] The company was renamed Citizens Telecommunications Company of Nevada.

Citizens acquired Ogden Telephone in 1997.

Frontier Communications headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut

In 1999, Citizens announced that it planned to acquire 187,000 local access lines from GTE for $664 million in Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Dakota. The sales were closed following the merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic to form Verizon.

Lines in Nebraska were split from GTE Midwest to become a part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of Nebraska. Lines in North Dakota were split. Some became part of Citizens of Montana while the rest joined with lines formerly part of Contel of Minnesota to become part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of Minnesota. Lines in Illinois became a part of Citizens Telecommunications Company of Illinois.

Proposed acquisition of US West lines

Citizens, in 1999, announced plans to acquire 530,000 rural access lines from US West, a Baby Bell, for $1.65 billion.[12] The sale would not have included US West Dex directories in those territories.

In 2001, Qwest, which acquired US West in 2000, terminated the sale because Citizens refused to complete the transaction.[13]

Utility sales

Citizens sold its non-telephone divisions in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The following divisions were sold:

Global Crossing and Commonwealth transactions

Citizens Communications acquired the Frontier name and local exchange properties from Bermuda-based Global Crossing in 2001. Global Crossing acquired the local exchange properties in 1999 when it purchased Frontier Corporation, originally Rochester Telephone Corporation.

Citizens acquired the operations from Global Crossing North America for $3.65 billion. The companies included in the acquisition included Frontier incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) companies in New York as well as Frontier Subsidiary Telco, which included all Global Crossing North America ILEC operations located outside of New York, Frontier Communications of America, a long distance provider, and Frontier Communications of Rochester, a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC).[21] The acquisition was completed in June 2001.

In 2006, Citizens acquired Commonwealth Telephone, a Pennsylvania telephone company.[22]

Name change

Citizens Communications stockholders approved changing the corporate name to Frontier Communications Corporation at the annual meeting on May 15, 2008. The name change became effective on July 31, 2008, and the company's stock symbol on the New York Stock Exchange changed from "CZN" to "FTR". On December 2, 2011, Frontier announced trading of its stock would move from the New York Stock Exchange to the NASDAQ stock exchange. The stock began trading under the same "FTR" symbol on the NASDAQ exchange at the start of the December 16, 2011 trading day.[23][24][25]

Purchase of Verizon lines

In May 2009, Frontier announced they had signed an $8.6 billion agreement with Verizon Communications to acquire Verizon's 4.8 million landlines leased to residential and small business customers.[26] The deal meant Frontier would acquire all wireline assets in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin, placed into a holding company called New Communications ILEC Holdings. Also included were several of Verizon's exchanges in California, including those bordering Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.[27] In all states other than West Virginia, this takeover primarily involved rural exchanges that were formerly a part of the GTE system when Verizon was formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. However, in West Virginia, Frontier acquired Verizon West Virginia, formerly The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of West Virginia, a former Bell System unit. When combined with its existing subsidiary Citizens Telecommunications Company of West Virginia, Frontier became the local incumbent telephone company for all but five exchanges in the entire state.

On July 1, 2010, the change from Verizon to Frontier took place. In some states, Frontier was required not to raise rates, and in others, broadband access was to be expanded. Ninety-two percent of people in Frontier's existing service area had access to broadband, while just 65 percent did in the newly acquired areas. The goal was 85 percent in three years.[28]

Previous companies like Fairpoint Communications and Hawaiian Telcom went bankrupt after incurring a large amount of debt as a result of similar landline deals with Verizon Communications.[29] While Frontier has fared better, the stock has never regained its post acquisition high of $9.73 per share on Dec. 27, 2010.[30]

On February 5, 2015, Frontier announced a further plan to acquire Verizon copper and fiber fixed-line infrastructure in California, Texas and Florida in a deal worth $10.4bn.[31] The sale includes operating companies GTE Southwest, Verizon California, and Verizon Florida.

Purchase of AT&T lines

On October 24, 2014, Frontier closed its acquisition of AT&T's wireline, DSL, U-verse video and satellite TV businesses in the state of Connecticut. The deal includes the wireline subsidiaries Southern New England Telephone and SNET America and consumer, business and wholesale customer relationships.[32]

Fiber Optic Services

Frontier FiOS

In addition to the purchase of copper lines from Verizon, Frontier also acquired the fiber-optic system built by Verizon in Fort Wayne, Indiana, around Portland, Oregon and in some eastern suburbs of Seattle, Washington.[33] The company kept the name FiOS for the fiber systems and licenses it acquired from Verizon. The initial transition was rocky, with Frontier initially claiming that it had no plans for changes after the transition but later attempted to institute a $500 installation fee for new television subscribers, backed out of franchise agreements in some cities in Oregon, and increased rates by 50% in Indiana.[34][35][36] Frontier later retracted the rate increases and installation fee but has not reclaimed franchises in the cities that it relinquished and not before losing FiOS TV subscribers.[37]

Frontier FiOS service in most markets operate on the same technology and software as the Verizon FiOS platform.

Frontier U-verse

In April 2012, speculation arose that AT&T would license its U-verse fiber to the node technology to Frontier. The U-verse rollout would likely occur in Frontier's larger markets, such as Rochester, New York and neighborhoods that are not served by FIOS around Everett, Washington.[38]

Sponsorship

Frontier purchased the naming rights to venues including:

References

  1. ^ Hoover's. "Frontier Communications Corporation". Company profiles. Austin, Texas. Archived from the original on 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2011-03-28. Citizens was incorporated in 1935 to reorganize Public Utilities Consolidated Corp., a subsidiary of W.B. Foshay Co. which had been forced into receivership.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORP 2013 Annual Report Form (10-K)" (XBRL). United States Securities and Exchange Commission. February 27, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS CORP 2014 Q1 Quarterly Report Form (10-Q)" (XBRL). United States Securities and Exchange Commission. May 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Frontier Communications Corporation (2012-02-23), FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, File 001-11001, film 12634061, retrieved 2012-08-12
  5. ^ a b "Frontier communications Overview and Coverage". Broadband Now. Retrieved 2014-04-28.
  6. ^ Leichtman Research Group, "Research Notes," First Quarter 2012, pg. 6, Frontier (#6) with 3,267,487 residential phone lines.
  7. ^ "Frontier Communications Corporation". National Broadband Map. Retrieved 2014-04-28.
  8. ^ (1994-12-30). "Citizens Utilities acquires telephone properties in California" Business Wire. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  9. ^ Citizens Telecommunications Company of California FCC Corporate History. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  10. ^ (1995-06-30)."Citizens Utilities acquires Alltel properties in West Virginia and Oregon" Business Wire. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  11. ^ (1996-04-01) "Citizens Utilities Acquires Alltel's Nevada Properties" Business Wire. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  12. ^ "Citizens Utilities in $1.65 billion deal with US West". The New York Times. 1999-06-18. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  13. ^ (2001-07-21). "Qwest cancels deal to sell phone lines" Brainerd Dispatch. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  14. ^ "Atmos Picks Up Citizens' Louisiana Distribution Assets". naturalgasintel.com.
  15. ^ "American Water Works Company Completes Acquisition of Citizens Utilities Water and Wastewater Assets". wwdmag.com.
  16. ^ "Kinder Morgan to buy Citizens' Colorado gas division". Denver Business Journal.
  17. ^ "Gas Company sold in $115 million deal". Honolulu Star-Bulletin Business.
  18. ^ "Az. utility deal means 21-22% rate increases". Tucson Citizen.
  19. ^ Administrator. "Vermont Electric Coop, About Us , About VT Electric Coop, Vermont Electric Cooperative History". Vermont Electric Coop.
  20. ^ "American Public Power Association - Overview of Investor-Owned Utilities". American Public Power Association.
  21. ^ State of New York Public Service Commission, April 25, 2001[dead link]
  22. ^ Foster, J. Kyle; van de Hoef, Marcel. "Citizens Communications to Buy Commonwealth Telephone (Update5)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  23. ^ "Company press release". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  24. ^ "Reuters.com". Reuters.com. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  25. ^ "News Releases". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  26. ^ Walker, Don (2009-05-13). "Article on Frontier's acquisition". Jsonline.com. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  27. ^ "Verizon's Press Release on Acquisition". Newscenter.verizon.com. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  28. ^ Murawski, John (2010-07-01). "Frontier phone switch starts". News & Observer. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  29. ^ Canfield, Clarke. "FairPoint trust suit blames Verizon for bankruptcy". Associated Press. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  30. ^ Finance, Yahoo!. "Frontier Communications Corporation Stock Chart". Retrieved 6 November 2012.
  31. ^ "Verizon sells three-state territory, including 1.6 million FiOS users". Ars Technica.
  32. ^ "Frontier Communications to Acquire AT&T's Wireline Residential and Business Services and Associated Assets in Connecticut". Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  33. ^ Butcher, Rob (2010-07-01). "Goodbye Verizon FiOS, Hello Frontier Communications". Kirkland Views.
  34. ^ "Frontier: No Changes For FiOS, DirecTV Customers For 9-12 Months - 2009-05-14 18:26:00 | Multichannel News". Multichannel.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  35. ^ "News and information for McMinnville and Yamhill Valley, Oregon - wine country newspaper". NewsRegister.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  36. ^ "Frontier plans substantial rate hike for FIOS TV". Wane.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  37. ^ "Updated: Frontier's Fiber Mess: Company Losing FiOS Subs, Landline Customers, But Adds Bonded DSL". Stop the Cap!. 2011-08-16. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  38. ^ Buckley, Sean. (2012-04-09). Frontier's next-gen FTTN plan will leverage AT&T's U-verse technology FierceTelecom. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
  39. ^ "Ice arena to be named for Frontier Communications - Spokesman.com - Sept. 22, 2011". Spokesman.com.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frontier_Communications&oldid=685925680"