EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — The state of Washington has approved the sale of Verizon’s landline business to Frontier Communications.
The Federal Communications Commission must also OK the deal approved Friday.
The approval comes with a number of conditions, including a requirement that the new owner not raise basic phone rates for the next three years. The agreement also includes penalties for poor service.
Last May, Verizon said it had agreed to sell 4.8 million land phone lines in 14 states, including Washington, for $8.6 billion. The deal does not include the Verizon Wireless cell phone business.
Verizon was created in 2000 by a merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. Verizon kept its Northwest headquarters in Everett, but the facility now goes to Frontier Communications.
