According to a Minnesota PUC press release dated March 3, 2011…
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission today approved the acquisition of Qwest by CenturyLink.
Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal adds…
The merger of Denver-based Qwest (NYSE: Q) and CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is expected to close April 1. Before that happens, the deal still must receive the approval of state regulators in Oregon and Washington and from the Federal Communications Commission.
We got a glimpse on the future of the company from Q.Marketplace Meeting (the annual meeting for indirect sales agents who are part of Qwest’s Business Partner Program) in January. We got an even earlier glimpse last Fall, when they agreed to spend $50 million over five years to expand broadband infrastructure in Minnesota. The view at the time was mixed on whether that was an added investment or simply expected cost of doing business.
Dave Peters at MPR asks some good questions about the $50 million Q-CL proposes to spend over the next 5 years: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/ground-level/archive/2011/03/where-will-a-merged-centurylink-put-its-50-million-in-broadband-investment.shtml