CHARLESTON, W.Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Frontier Communications (NYSE: FTR) invested $8.8 million in West Virginia during the last half of 2010, making broadband service available to 37,985 additional households and small businesses.
The company’s investment in facilities has transformed many of the service areas Frontier acquired in July 2010. Frontier technicians installed high-speed Internet (broadband) equipment based on digital subscriber-line (DSL) technology at its phone-switching facilities throughout the state, providing service to new customers. Frontier now offers broadband service to about 425,000 households in West Virginia.
“Broadband is key to turning up the economic engine in West Virginia,” said Dana Waldo, senior vice president for Frontier Communications in West Virginia. “We are keeping our commitment to the state, to our customers and to rural America. We want to keep West Virginia competitive by helping home businesses expand and small businesses flourish. Our broadband will enhance the use of e-mail, movie downloads, photo-sharing and website creation and content choices.”
Waldo noted that access to broadband also is critical for education and safety. Tele-medicine is increasingly common and offers rural America many of the services available in medical centers in larger cities. Frontier’s commitment to rural America underscores the company’s belief that smaller towns and cities deserve the same services as large communities, Waldo said.
Frontier’s High-Speed Internet service is delivered on a dedicated line from its central switching office to the customer’s home or business, backed by live, 24/7 100 percent U.S.-based customer service and technical support.
New customers ordering Frontier’s High-Speed Internet are offered two-hour appointment windows during which trained technicians will install a customer’s computer and a wireless router and offer a basic course in how to access and navigate the Internet. Frontier’s Peace of Mind, a full array of customer care services, includes Internet security, technical support and online backup service.
As Frontier expands broadband service in West Virginia, eligible customers will have the choice of receiving one of the following: a free laptop computer, a free HDTV television with a web-enabled Blu-Ray DVD player or free DISH TV service through 2011 as part of a first-quarter promotion, Waldo said.
About Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Corporation (NYSE: FTR) offers voice, High-Speed Internet, satellite video, wireless Internet data access, data security solutions, bundled offerings, specialized bundles for small businesses and home offices, and advanced business communications for medium and large businesses in 27 states and with approximately 14,800 employees. It is a Fortune 500 company and included in the S&P 500 Index. Its Southeast Region comprises West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. More information about Frontier is available at www.frontier.com and www.frontier.com/ir.