Frontier focused on broadband expansion this year

COEUR d'ALENE - Frontier Communications Corp. has spent 2014 investing heavily in expanding its broadband network in North Idaho.

Mike Towne, who oversees Idaho, Eastern Washington and Montana for the company, said 2,500 new broadband customers have been added in Idaho this year, including both residential and commercial customers.

The rural telecommunication service company's market share in Idaho has grown approximately 3 percent, Towne said Thursday.

"Expanding our (broadband) footprint has been a very big deal for us," he said.

Frontier has spent approximately $16 million during the past four years in Idaho expanding the broadband network. That includes $4 million in growth investment in North Idaho this year.

The company has nearly 50,000 broadband customers in Idaho, and approximately 12,000 in Coeur d'Alene.

For Idaho, the company has increased its commercial side of business - revenue from broadband and other services - more than its residential side this year, he said.

"We've actually grown about 4 percent in our revenues on the commercial side," Towne said. "That's serving the big and small business customers."

Frontier added five new jobs in Coeur d'Alene this year, including technicians and sales representatives.

Nationally, the company just reported third-quarter net income attributable to common shareholders of $42 million, or 4 cents a share.

That compares with net income of $35.4 million, or 4 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter.