By Bill Archer/Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Calling it “a game changer for the Mountain State” in terms of high-speed Internet connectivity, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced a settlement with Frontier Communications that will accelerate Frontier’s efforts to increase Internet speeds and enhance broadband service for state residents living in rural areas throughout the state.
“This is a very positive settlement for everyone in the state,” Morrisey said Thursday afternoon during a telephone interview. “It is the single largest independently negotiated consumer protection settlement in West Virginia history.”
The settlement calls for Frontier to invest $150 million in infrastructure upgrades, provide approximately $10 in direct customer benefits through reduced monthly bills to some 28,000 customers statewide and to make a $500,000 payment to the state’s Consumer Protection Fund.
“We were pleased that we were able to work with Frontier to develop this settlement,” Morrisey said. “We see it as a win-win for the company and the consumers.”
According to a fact sheet from Morrisey’s office, Frontier customers who do not currently have high-speed Internet service of at least 6 megabits per second will see a reduction in their monthly bill to $9.99.
“We think this is a significant development for individuals who live in the state’s rural areas,” Morrisey said. He said the new investments will be in addition to the $180 million in upgrades that Frontier is planning as part of the federal government’s Connect America Fund II…
Most of the upgrades will be completed by the end of 2017.
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