Frontier Asks Verizon Customers for 'Patience' in Transition

Some three million Verizon customers in California and two other states are being asked for their patience as Frontier Communications takes over their accounts.

In a $10.54-billion transaction effective April 1, Frontier assumed operations of roughly 3.3 million Verizon landline telephone customer accounts, 2.1 million broadband internet accounts and 1.2 million FiOS video subscriber accounts.

The sale encompassed residential, wholesale and commercial customers in the Golden State and in Texas and Florida.

Verizon Wireless customers are not affected.

The southernmost boundary of Frontier’s new service territory in California is the Riverside County/San Diego County border. Murrieta, Temecula, Hemet, San Jacinto and Beaumont, plus an area near the Salton Sea in the northwest corner of Imperial County, are all part of the the affected area.

In an email April 1, Frontier invited its new customers to visit MeetFrontier.com, where as of Tuesday, this message greeted them:

“We’re currently moving your account, and 3 million others, from Verizon to Frontier. Until this process is completed on April 8, you will have very limited capability with your Frontier ID, which includes limited account management, My Frontier app and your entertainment apps transfer capabilities. Thank you for your patience during this one-week transition.”

Some customers, however, have taken to Twitter to express frustration over issues they've had since the takeover.

Reached Tuesday, a spokesman for Frontier acknowledged a “small” number of incidents.

“In the overwhelming majority of cases, our customers’ services are functioning as expected,” said Cameron Christian, a spokesman for Frontier. “While we did experience a small number of customer requests for assistance, these have been addressed.”

The Connecticut-based company expects to start sending bills to its new customers by mid-April.

"This is a transformative acquisition for Frontier that delivers first-rate assets and important new opportunities given our dramatically expanded scale," said Daniel McCarthy, Frontier's president and chief executive officer. "It significantly expands our presence in three high-growth, high-density states, and improves our revenue mix by increasing the percentage of our revenues coming from segments with the most promising growth potential."

As part of the deal, some 9,400 Verizon employees now work for Frontier.

"Our new colleagues know their markets, their customers and their business extremely well," McCarthy said. "As valued members of the Frontier team, they will ensure continuity of existing customer relationships."

A column published by Los Angeles Times in August 2015 revealed that the two companies have been negotiating the deal for more than a year. As columnist David Lazarus put it, the deal spares Verizon the expense of expanding its broadband services to “less-than-profitable” rural areas, allowing it to focus on its wireless services.

On Feb. 5, Frontier received the clearance it needed from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, the Public Utility Commission of Texas, and other public authorities to complete the transaction.

Frontier Communications Corporation describes itself as a “leader in providing communications services to urban, suburban and rural communities in 29 states.” Frontier also noted that its approximately 28,600 employees are based entirely in the United States.

“If we could convey two messages to our new California customers, the first would be to express thanks to them for doing business with Frontier Communications,” Christian said. “Our second message would be for them to contact us whenever they need assistance by calling us toll-free at 800-921-8101 or via live chat.”