NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Frontier Communications Corporation today announced the company exceeded its 2017 Connect America Fund (CAF) milestones in each of the 29 states it serves, reaching over 45 percent of its eligible households under the FCC’s CAF program. In addition to new broadband access, over 900,000 households experienced speed increases due to network upgrades in their communities. These improvements result from CAF funding and Frontier capital investment and exceeded the program requirements to reach 40% of eligible households by the end of 2017.
Frontier has CAF-eligible service territories in Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
Broadband is important to a prosperous rural America, as it enables businesses and consumers to take full advantage of the benefits of internet connectivity including online education, healthcare, vital information resources and entertainment. The Trump administration has signaled its interest in rural Americans’ access to broadband connectivity and identifying ways to provide funding to serve high cost rural areas, which otherwise could not economically be provided connectivity.
“We’ve hit our stride with the CAF program, and we are excited to continue bringing faster speeds to more communities over the next three years,” said Mark D. Nielsen, Frontier Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. “The combination of FCC funding and company investment have allowed us to deploy more broadband and improve speeds. Everyone benefits from a more connected rural America.”
The company is marketing the new and improved speeds to customers, including through door-to-door sales, direct calls, and targeted advertising. Many of the locations served can receive speeds of 25 Mbps and faster. Overall, Frontier has committed to broadband availability in CAF-eligible areas in 774,000 households throughout the life of the program.
About Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:FTR) is a leader in providing communications services to urban, suburban, and rural communities in 29 states. Frontier offers a variety of services to residential customers over its fiber-optic and copper networks, including video, high-speed internet, advanced voice, and Frontier Secure® digital protection solutions. Frontier Business offers communications solutions to small, medium, and enterprise businesses. More information about Frontier is available at www.frontier.com.
