Fortune Magazine reports…

Telecom company CenturyLink said on Monday it would buy Level 3 Communications in a cash-and-stock deal for equity value of $19.43 billion to expand its fiber optic network and high-speed data services.

I don’t have details but it could be good news for Minnesota communities served by CenturyLink…

The deal comes at a time when business clients of both companies seek more bandwidth and faster capabilities to move data to run their businesses.

This deal, expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2017, will increase CenturyLink’s network by 200,000 miles of fiber.

The big question is – which communities will benefit?