Minnesota regulators approve Frontier’s plan to emerge from bankruptcy

Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MN PUC) approved Frontier’s bankruptcy plan despite the urging of CWA and the Minnesota Attorney General to impose deployment and investment conditions on Frontier. CWA had urged the Minnesota PUC to require Frontier to make significant additional investments in its network such that Frontier will spend $50 million on capital improvements in its Minnesota network by the end of 2024, install fiber to the premises that pass a minimum of 15,000 additional locations in Minnesota by no later than the end of 2027, maintain the total employee technician staffing level in Minnesota to the end of 2023, and offer and provide training for its employee technicians in Minnesota on mixed generation (e.g. fiber) technologies.

“We believe this was a missed opportunity to impose accountability on Frontier. The PUC decided not to impose conditions that would benefit Minnesota customers, including expanded fiber deployment, capital investment, and workforce retention, as other states have done,” said Mark Doffing, CWA Local 7270 President. “CWA, however, fully supports the Commissioners’ commitment to open a new investigation that will provide much-needed oversight on Frontier’s business plan in Minnesota following the company’s emergence from bankruptcy. CWA remains committed to working with the PUC and Frontier to ensure Minnesotans receive the service quality they deserve.”