Louisiana-based CenturyTel is buying Qwest in a $10.6 billion deal expected to bring job losses.
Two of the nation’s largest land-line telecom companies are merging to streamline operations.
Both companies have been weakened by the rise in popularity of the mobile phone.
The deal would shore up the combined company by helping it reduce expenses and improve its ability to compete with cable. But it would still be in the grip of a dismal trend: The number of landlines in the U.S. shrinks by about 10 percent per year as consumers chose to rely on their wireless phones or service from cable companies.
Read more at Oregon Live.
