PUC Approves Settlement in Verizon Acquisition of Frontier Communications

PUC Approves Settlement in Verizon Acquisition of Frontier Communications

Published on 9/11/2025

Filed under: Telecommunications

Settlement Includes Network Audit, Service Improvements, Low-Income Broadband Access, and Consumer Protections

HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved a joint settlement for Verizon Communications (Verizon) to acquire the parent company of Frontier Communications (Frontier) and its Pennsylvania operating subsidiaries.

Today's 5-0 vote by the Commission adopts the Recommended Decision of PUC Administrative Law Judges Steven K. Haas and Erin L. Gannon and approves the joint settlement without modification.

Frontier and Verizon filed their joint application on October 31, 2024, seeking Commission approval for Verizon's acquisition of 100 percent ownership of Frontier. The Commission held multiple public input hearings in early 2025 in affected service territories, where residents shared experiences and concerns about service reliability.

"As part of the settlement, Verizon has committed to ensuring that income eligible customers, including those of Frontier, have access to essential telephone and internet services," noted Commissioner Kathryn L. Zerfuss at today's PUC public meeting.

The settlement - supported by Verizon, Frontier, the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA), the Office of Small Business Advocate (OSBA), and the Broad Horizons Lot Owners' Association (BHLA) - includes numerous pro-consumer measures designed to address longstanding service concerns and ensure a smooth transition for Frontier customers across Pennsylvania.

Key Consumer Protections and Improvements

Highlights of the settlement include:

• Welcome Letter & Customer Transition - Verizon will send a welcome letter to Frontier customers within 45 days of closing, providing important service and payment information.
  
  
• Discounted Broadband Access - Verizon will extend its "Verizon Forward" discounted broadband program to qualifying low-income households in the Frontier service territory for at least four years, with protections against reduced eligibility or discount value.
  
  
• Network Audit & Modernization Plan - Verizon will complete a detailed audit of Frontier's copper and fiber networks within 10 months of closing, identify problem areas, and develop a multi-year plan to rehabilitate and modernize facilities, including detailed reporting to the PUC, OCA, and OSBA.
  
  
• Plant Maintenance Program - Verizon will establish a formal maintenance program to track and address infrastructure conditions, with commitments to resolve at least 75% of reported issues within 90 days.
  
  
• Public Reporting & Transparency - Verizon will file public versions of audit and implementation plans, along with annual reports on fiber deployment and capital expenditures in Pennsylvania.
  
  
• Rate Cap Protection - Tariffed rates for residential and small business customers in Frontier service areas are capped until January 1, 2028 (except for government-imposed tax/surcharge changes).
  
  
• Broad Horizons Lot Owners' Association (BHLA) Commitments - Verizon will conduct a targeted study of conditions in Sullivan County's Broad Horizons community and complete necessary improvements, with monthly updates to the community and consumer advocates.
  
  
• Continuation of Frontier Obligations - Verizon will honor Frontier's state and federal broadband commitments under programs such as the Rural Development Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program (BEAD).
  
  

Connection to Prior Frontier Settlement

Today's settlement builds on the protections secured in the Commission's May 2024 case involving Frontier service and outage complaints - which were intended to improve service quality, strengthen infrastructure, and provide greater accountability for customers in Frontier's Pennsylvania service territory. In addition, the planning, implementation, and reporting requirements built into this agreement are designed to boost transparency for future efforts to improve service and reliability for customers in the former Frontier territories.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC's website at puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the "Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission" or "PA PUC" on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket No.: A-2024-3051925

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen Press Secretary 717-418-2701 [email protected]
• David Hixson Deputy Press Secretary 717-772-2766 [email protected]