Frontier Communications (NASDAQ:FTR) announced the company has reached a milestone requirement of the Connect America Fund program (CAF) well ahead of schedule. The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) program rules associated with CAF require companies that accepted the funds to deploy broadband to 40 percent of the eligible locations by the end of 2017. As of June 30th, Frontier had reached the 40 percent milestone in nine states: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington, and West Virginia.

Nationally, Frontier now provides broadband to approximately 238,000 households and small businesses in its CAF-eligible areas, and has improved speeds to approximately 746,000 additional locations. The deployments reflect a combination of Frontier capital investment and resources that the FCC has made available through the CAF program. The company is aggressively marketing broadband offerings to households with new access or improved speeds. Simplified broadband offerings and bundled service packages that provide choice and affordable options are available with speeds as fast as 115 Mbps, depending on the distance from Frontier's nearest facilities. Many of the locations newly served receive 25 Mbps and faster.

“We are very pleased to reach this important milestone,” said Mark D. Nielsen, Frontier Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. “The combination of CAF and Frontier’s investments have enabled new broadband connections that are vital to closing the digital divide. Every day we see our customers benefiting from the significant economic and educational benefits of broadband connectivity.”

Through its partnership with the FCC, Frontier will turn $332M in annual funding into broadband availability for 774,000 households and business of at least 10 Mbps over the life of the program.

About Frontier Communications

Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:FTR) is a leader in providing communications services to urban, suburban, and rural communities in 29 states. Frontier offers a variety of services to residential customers over its fiber-optic and copper networks, including video, high-speed internet, advanced voice, and Frontier Secure® digital protection solutions. Frontier Business Edge™ offers communications solutions to small, medium, and enterprise businesses. More information about Frontier is available at www.frontier.com.