<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><h1 class="article-title scalable" style="font-size: 18px;">CenturyLink to invest $20 million to improve, expand broadband in New Mexico</h1>
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July 18, 2011<br>
<br></div><div class="article-body scalable" style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.lightwaveonline.com/fttx/news/CenturyLink-to-invest-20-million-to-improve-expand-broadband-in-New-Mexico-125743638.html?cmpid=EnlDirectJuly182011">www.lightwaveonline.com/fttx/news/CenturyLink-to-invest-20-million-to-improve-expand-broadband-in-New-Mexico-125743638.html?cmpid=EnlDirectJuly182011</a> </div><div class="article-body scalable" style="font-size: 12px;"><br><p>CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE:CTL), following its <a href="http://www.lightwaveonline.com/business/news/CenturyLink-and-Qwest-to-merge-91888274.html">merger with Qwest Communications</a>, has announced plans to invest at least $20 million to improve and expand <a href="http://www.lightwaveonline.com/fttx/news/Fiber-dominates-latest-US-rural-broadband-stimulus-funds-release-82618867.html">broadband communications </a>availability and increase <a href="http://www.lightwaveonline.com/about-us/lightwave-issue-archives/issue/interoperability-aids-fttp-deployments-53906692.html">connectivity speeds </a>to consumers in New Mexico.</p><p>"This investment by CenturyLink to expand <a href="http://www.lightwaveonline.com/fttx/news/Fiber-dominates-latest-US-rural-broadband-stimulus-funds-release-82618867.html">broadband services </a>in
New Mexico is an effective way for the company to introduce itself to
the state," New Mexico Public Regulation Commission chairman Pat Lyons
says. "CenturyLink is New Mexico's leading communications provider now
that its merger with Qwest is complete. We look forward to the
additional resources and opportunities that this increased <a href="http://www.lightwaveonline.com/about-us/lightwave-issue-archives/issue/multiplexing-streaming-data-in-an-ethernet-network-54891202.html">Internet connectivity </a>made possible by CenturyLink will provide the people of New Mexico."</p><p>"As a result of CenturyLink's merger with Qwest, the combined company
now has the financial strength, national breadth, and local depth to
provide a compelling array of <a href="http://www.lightwaveonline.com/lightwave-issue-archives/issue/bend-insensitive-multimode-fiber-improves-enterprise-networks-54893717.html">broadband products </a>and
high-bandwidth services in New Mexico," explains Valerie Dodd, vice
president and general manager for CenturyLink in New Mexico.</p><p>Dodd and her Albuquerque-based local operations team are studying the
communities CenturyLink serves in the state to determine where to
deploy the expanded <a href="http://www.lightwaveonline.com/about-us/lightwave-issue-archives/issue/interoperability-aids-fttp-deployments-53906692.html">broadband infrastructure</a> that the new initiative will fund. CenturyLink will implement the expanded broadband program over the next several years.</p><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><div>
<div style="font-size: 12px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div><div>------------------------------------------------------------</div><div>Richard Lowenberg<br>P. O. Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504<br>505-989-9110 off.; 505-603-5200 cell</div><div>------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>