CenturyTel to buy Denver-based Qwest

[dentino]

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_14936360#axzz0lqwgcLyy

NEW YORK — CenturyTel Inc., the country's fifth-largest local-phone company, said Thursday that it will buy Qwest Communications International Inc., the third-largest, in a stock swap worth $10.6 billion to gain the benefits of scale in a shrinking business.

The combination would have about 18 million phone lines serving customers in 37 states, but would still be dwarfed by AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. It would be based at CenturyTel's headquarters in Monroe, La., rather than in Denver, where Qwest is based.

[rbcp]

Wow, that seems kind of backwards.

[ErrorLoading]

It's communism coming to kill us all. 

[nyphonejacks]

Wow, that seems kind of backwards.

thats what i was thinking... i thought the larger company was supposed to take over the smaller company...

[Nod]

AWESOME! 1mb down connections that average around a 100kbs down for everyone. YAY!

[dentino]

I wonder if CentryTel will uphold Qwests practice of not turning over custy records to the NSA?  http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm

Probably not, but i doubt it really matters either way.

[nyphonejacks]

I wonder if CentryTel will uphold Qwests practice of not turning over custy records to the NSA?  http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm

Probably not, but i doubt it really matters either way.

shit i forgot about that... qwest was the only company that did not need to worry about the retroactive immunity because they did not break the law and provide the government with access for warrant-less wiretaps...if i remember correctly... 

[delysid]

As far as major wireless carriers are concerned, T-Mobile USA also said not without a warrant.

[CactusIndianapolis]

As far as major wireless carriers are concerned, T-Mobile USA also said not without a warrant.

Thank the Germans for their great phone service.