Nebraska Regulators Approve Qwest-CenturyLink Merger

Nebraska regulators on Tuesday approved the pending merger between CenturyLink Inc. and Qwest Communications.

The decision by the Nebraska Public Service Commission was unanimous, Monroe, La.-based CenturyLink and Denver-based Qwest announced in a joint news release. As part of the approval process, the telecommunications providers have committed to investing at least $10 million in broadband infrastructure in the Cornhusker State over five years.

The Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and 16 states plus the District of Columbia have approved the pending combination of CenturyLink and Qwest.

The companies still need regulatory approval in Arizona, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah and Washington.  The FCC also must approve the transaction.

CenturyLink and Qwest expect the merger to close during the first half of 2011.

The combined company will provide communications services across 37 states. As of Sept. 30, 2010, the companies served a combined 15.7 million access lines and 5.3 million broadband customers.