CenturyLink, Inc. announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice has approved the company’s sale of certain former Level 3 metro network assets in the Tucson, Ariz., area to FirstDigital Telecom, a telecommunications carrier in the western United States headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. This sale is subject to other governmental approvals, including the Federal Communications Commission, along with other customary closing conditions.
Last fall, CenturyLink entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to divest, among other assets, former Level 3 metro fiber network assets in the metro areas of Albuquerque, N.M.; Boise, Idaho; and Tucson, Ariz., in connection with CenturyLink’s acquisition of Level 3. Once concluded, the sale of the Level 3 Tucson area network assets to FirstDigital Telecom will fulfill that part of the commitment.
Upon the close of sale, CenturyLink will continue to serve all former Level 3 customers in Tucson, unless they choose to be served by FirstDigital Telecom. Shortly after closing, should former Level 3 customers choose to be served by FirstDigital, they will be given the details about how to switch service to FirstDigital without penalty or delay. Where needed to provide uninterrupted service to its customers in Tucson, CenturyLink plans to purchase network connectivity and services from FirstDigital.
The proposed sale to FirstDigital Telecom does not include or affect the Tucson area networks and business assets CenturyLink operated prior to the Level 3 acquisition. CenturyLink retains those assets and will continue to provide telecommunications services to residential and business customers in Tucson.
Wesley McDougal, the President & CEO of FirstDigital, said, “We look forward to entering the Tucson market with our customer-centric business solutions and a full product mix of fiber-based services. We have worked together with CenturyLink in the western United States for over 20 years and are confident the transition will be seamless.”
The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.