Qwest and proposed merger partner Century Link agreed Monday to invest at least $70 million over five years to expand broadband in Colorado as part of a settlement reached with the staff of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
The agreement states that the merger is in the public interest and should be approved by the PUC commissioners, who are reviewing the deal this week and are expected to issue an initial decision by December.
The companies agreed to spend 20 percent of the investment on expanding high-speed Internet service in unserved or underserved areas in Colorado.
Denver-based Qwest spends more than $1 billion annually on network improvements and other capital expenditures across its service territory.
Qwest and Monroe, La.-based CenturyLink also agreed to file quarterly reports with updates on key milestones and any effect the merger has on the combined company’s workforce and operations in Colorado.
Separately, the companies announced a deal with Integra Telecom, a network operator that purchases services from Qwest. Integra had expressed concerns about potential service problems stemming from the integration.
The Colorado Office of Consumer Counsel has also intervened in the regulatory review, asking the PUC to raise service benchmarks and potential fines to ensure that service quality doesn’t deteriorate after the merger.
Also Monday, the PUC held a hearing to review concerns from the public. Four people spoke, including broadband and consumer advocates. Arvada resident Kathleen Flynn said she had numerous problems with Qwest over the years, specifically with service calls and billing.
“Qwest service has been extremely poor, both for phone and Internet,” said Flynn, who switched from Qwest to Comcast last month.
Authorities in 12 states and Washington, D.C., have approved the deal, which was announced in April. It still requires approval from nine states and the Federal Communications Commission.
Andy Vuong: 303-954-1209, avuong@denverpost.com or
