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Merger has Qwest's rivals worried

Article by: STEVE ALEXANDER , Star Tribune
Updated: August 2, 2010 - 10:05 PM

Qwest's local competitors rely on its network, and they want regulators to ensure that acquirer CenturyLink can manage it.

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noinkAug. 3, 10 8:07 AM

This merger should not be allowed to go through.

khegleAug. 3, 10 9:15 AM

What an incredibly insightful and well researched comment "noink". You must be the same guy that yells "riot" in a crowd of people and then ducks out the back of the crowd. Do you have a reason for your statement or are you just anti-corporations.

noinkAug. 3, 10 1:32 PM

Well you know what, it is all about ME as I know that if this merger goes through my Quest rates will go up considerably. Then Quest most likely will lose me as a phone and internet customer!

hfnorthAug. 3, 10 1:43 PM

hfnorthAug. 3, 10 1:47 PM

Telecommunications services are divided between services that are subject to federal regulation and services that are subject to state regulation.

· The provision of interstate and interLATA long-distance service is overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

· The provision of local long distance service and local telephone service are subject to the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

cjschenkAug. 3, 10 3:13 PM

CenturyTel had nearly the same profit as Qwest with less than 1/2 the revenue, so I ask which is the better run company? It's not like a $5 billion company is a small company. I've been waiting for Qwest to offer DSL in my neighborhood for 2 years and hopefully this merger will loosen up some capital to give me some choice on my internet service provider.

sambisselAug. 3, 10 4:22 PM

waiting for Qwest or CL or whoever to expand plant. Righ now broadband stim money has made the fiber business very unbalanced. Companies are unwilling to expand plant only to have overbuilders, using tax doallrs, compete with them.

Cookie6Aug. 3, 10 5:16 PM

"Qwest must provide competitors with access to its telephone network at discounted, or "wholesale" prices." That means that all the "competitors" have access to Qwest's network ie- all their land lines and connections that are all over the country. All these "competitors" did not have to invest in any of the costs of installing and maintaining the plant that Qwest built and maintained for years and years. That's like saying Walmart must give a section of their store to their competitors and continue to stock the shelves and maintain the store space and keep paying the utility bills to keep it running etc. And at the same time, they must maintain and sell the space at a discount so that someone else (their competitors)can make a profit selling the same items for less money. Does this make any sense at all? No wonder Qwest is selling, as you can't continue running a business this way.