Company’s Wi-Fi services recognized by Department of Navy Chief Information Officer

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy Reserve Forces Command, using Wi-Fi equipment and Internet protocols provided by CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL), won a Department of the Navy Information Management/Information Technology Excellence Award for providing Wi-Fi service at Navy Reserve Operational Support Centers across the U.S. The project was the first Department of Defense-approved, wide-scale deployment of commercial Wi-Fi to operational sites for the purpose of completing mission-related and readiness-related tasks.

You can read the full text of the news release here: http://news.centurylink.com/index.php?s=43&item=2932

CenturyLink’s CEO Glen Post recently joined the CEOs of 17 other major companies in signing a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The letter asks the Administration not to raise taxes on capital gains and dividends, which will help fuel economic growth, create jobs, and allow seniors and middle class investors to keep more of their investment dollars—all of which are national priorities. CenturyLink supports policies that will help both small and large businesses have access to capital and continue making critical investments.

You can read the full text of the CEOs’ letter on the Alliance for Savings and Investment’s website here: http://www.theasi.org/in-the-news/ceo-of-major-us-companies-wrote-to-treasury.html

WASHINGTON – CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) issued the following statement today on the U.S. Senate confirmation of two new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioners:

“CenturyLink congratulates Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai on their confirmation by the Senate as FCC commissioners,” said Steve Davis, CenturyLink’s senior vice president of public policy and government relations. “Both are well qualified and bring a deep understanding of the complex issues facing the communications industry today. We look forward to working with them to help bring advanced technologies to more consumers and businesses.”

USTelecom recently issued a report highlighting the wireline’s industry’s ongoing investment in broadband infrastructure.  CenturyLink is proud of our continuing investments to provide our customers with faster download speeds that help meet the ever-increasing appetite for bandwidth.

Read more about this research report here: http://www.ustelecom.org/news/press-release/broadband-investment-continues-hold-steady-2011

WASHINGTON – CenturyLink issued the following statement today in support of the Federal Communications Commission’s reconsideration order on Universal Service Fund and Intercarrier Compensation (USF/ICC) reform:

“CenturyLink appreciates the Federal Communications Commission’s reconsideration of some important aspects of its USF/ICC transformation order,” said Steve Davis, CenturyLink’s senior vice president of public policy and government relations. “This reconsideration order will help companies like CenturyLink deliver broadband services to more customers in unserved, rural areas—a goal we share with the Commission.”

Future of landline telephone service hinges on finding needed balance between lighter regulation, on-going investment, customer demand and cost of providing service

Recent stories in the press highlight how important landline phone connections are to some customers in rural areas as several states consider legislation to ease the requirement to provide low-cost telephone service to anyone who wants it. 

There is no doubt that the decades old policy of universally available service needs to be revamped to reflect today’s competitive alternatives to traditional landlines in most parts of the country. However, many consumers, small business owners and anchor institutions such as health care facilities rely on voice and data services in areas that are remote, costly to reach, and generally not well served by carriers. This is why so many rural customers value the affordability and reliability of their local landline service, which is frequently the only provider investing in and providing service to such areas. Policy makers also realize that in rural markets, the landline is the gateway to affordable broadband services.

Companies like CenturyLink, which has been in business since the 1930s, have continued to invest in upgrading their landline connections as technologies have improved. These upgrades and maintenance costs can add up to thousands of dollars per phone line. Even if companies like CenturyLink are allowed by regulators to charge market rates, the revenues will not be enough to cover the cost of providing the service to customers in remote, high-cost areas. 

CenturyLink has stepped in while other companies are selling off their landlines to fill the void for consumers who value their landline service. This puts CenturyLink and its customers squarely in the middle of this debate. Many of CenturyLink’s urban customers can choose among several competitive options for phone service, but for the company’s rural consumers, the affordability, reliability and security of a landline phone is essential.

Some states, like Vermont, have begun to recognize the value of landlines and the economic benefits that carriers of last resort continue to provide to rural high cost areas. Vermont is considering legislation that would create a state universal service fund to compensate carriers for maintaining service in rural areas. Colorado is another state where CenturyLink and other rural carriers are fighting to keep the state’s universal service fund while the state struggles to address the competitive challenges carriers are facing for voice and video services throughout the more populated areas of the state. 

The public interest dictates that states should provide explicit funding to those carriers who bear the cost of implementing universal service to rural customers. CenturyLink supports efforts to find the proper regulatory balance between eliminating unnecessary and outdated regulations while preserving the goals of universal service. The company stands by its rural customers and accepts its responsibility as the carrier of last resort where such policies are valued, where competitive risks are recognized, and where economic incentives are adequate to support the underlying policies.

Each day, millions of consumers and businesses rely on the Internet to learn, work, share information and to be entertained. And, while we may be aware of our personal privacy and virus concerns, the majority of us are unaware that thousands of much more serious cyber and network security attacks are taking place on the nation’s network infrastructure. The good news is – the telecommunications industry is working around the clock to protect both their networks and your personal online safety.

On March 22, 2012, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) industry advisory committee, the Communications, Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC), issued and approved recommendations regarding three voluntary cybersecurity initiatives for Internet providers: Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNS SEC) Implementation; Secure Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Deployment; and Botnet Remediation. During the meeting, FCC Chairman Genachowski recognized that these CSRIC recommendations, “…identif[ied] smart, practical, voluntary solutions that will materially improve the cybersecurity of commercial networks…” These reports are proof that the Internet Service Provider (ISP) community recognizes how important the issue of cybersecurity is to securing the nation’s critical infrastructure, protecting consumers, fighting crime, and protecting national security.

CenturyLink has a strong focus on cybersecurity and has been an industry leader in this arena for more than six years. CenturyLink’s leadership role played an integral role in Chairman Genachowski appointing Glen F. Post III, CenturyLink CEO, to Chair CSRIC in August 2011. Also, the FCC appointed a CenturyLink representative to serve as the Steering Committee Chair, to manage ten Working Groups tasked with formulating and submitting recommendations to promote communications security, reliability, and resiliency. In addition, 13 CenturyLink employees are currently serving on these Working Groups. Many of these CenturyLink employees are being called upon to provide cybersecurity expertise and assist in guiding the CSRIC work activity.

CenturyLink actively provided support during the development of the voluntary Anti-Bot Code of Conduct for ISPs (ABCs for ISPs) and the associated industry best practices. In fact, CenturyLink has already voluntarily implemented the ABCs for ISPs and provides notification and education for its customers regarding bot activity and supports efforts to detect and remediate bots through collaboration with other ISPs.

CenturyLink provides communications services to more than 14 million homes and businesses in more than 37 states and around the world, including voice, broadband, video entertainment and data services. In addition, we provide fiber backhaul, cloud computing and managed cybersecurity solutions. As a premiere communications provider, CenturyLink recognizes how important the issue of cybersecurity is and constantly monitors, tests and upgrades its network infrastructure. We do this to protect our customers and to ensure services remain secure and available for all users. CenturyLink also has a strong history of protecting the privacy of our subscriber’s information, ensuring that customer’s traffic reaches valid targeted websites, and that online transactions are securely processed.

CenturyLink commends the industry for recognizing the importance of these voluntary initiatives and the continued willingness to work cooperatively to seek meaningful solutions. CenturyLink will continue to support the FCC’s efforts to work with ISPs in a voluntary manner to find the best approach for dealing with cybersecurity issues and ensuring a positive and secure online experience for our customers.

Today CenturyLink issued the following statement regarding the Next Generation Television Marketplace Act:

“We commend Rep. Steve Scalise and Sen. Jim DeMint for introducing comprehensive legislation that will hit the reset button on the rules governing the video marketplace,” said Steve Davis, CenturyLink’s senior vice president of public policy and government relations. “CenturyLink is making investments to bring more competitive video choices to millions of customers across our network, but today’s outdated video regulations have become an obstacle to us and other new entrants and competition generally. We hope this legislation spurs a thoughtful, long overdue debate, and we look forward to working with all members of Congress as it progresses.”

CenturyLink issued the following statement regarding the Senate Commerce Committee’s vote to confirm Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai to serve as Federal Communications Commission commissioners:

“We are pleased the Senate Commerce Committee has approved the nominations of Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai to serve on the Federal Communications Commission and hope for a speedy confirmation by the Senate,” said Steve Davis, CenturyLink’s senior vice president of public policy and government relations. “We believe that the candidates’ experience and understanding of the communications field will help them address the complex issues our industry faces. We look forward to working with them once they are confirmed by the Senate.”

We are pleased to announce that the General Services Administration (GSA) has selected CenturyLink to participate in Connections II, a $5 billion, multiple-award contract program. This allows for federal government agencies to purchase telecommunications, network and communications solutions.

Connections II meets the needs of government agencies and authorized users as they procure equipment, building, and campus infrastructure for their communications and networks. For more information, please read below for more details on the announcement CenturyLink made earlier this week.

The General Services Administration (GSA) has selected CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) to participate in Connections II, a $5 billion, multiple-award contract program with a base of three years and three months, and six one-year government options, for federal government agencies to purchase telecommunications, network and communications solutions.

Connections II meets the needs of government agencies and authorized users as they procure equipment, building, and campus infrastructure for their communications and networks. The contract program provides professional services to support existing federal networks, including customized designs and client-specific solutions. Agencies can also use the contract for transition planning and integration services or infrastructure installation and implementation.

“CenturyLink is pleased to add Connections II to the other contract programs it offers to federal agencies for acquiring services that support their critical and advancing communications networks,” said Diana Gowen, senior vice president and general manager of CenturyLink Government Solutions in Arlington. “Through Connections II, CenturyLink will provide customized designs and solutions for building the communications networks that agencies increasingly rely on to deliver their unique and critical services to the nation.”

In addition to Connections II and Networx, the largest global communications contract program ever developed for the federal government by GSA, CenturyLink participates in other purchasing programs used by the Department of Defense and civilian agencies, including GSA Federal Supply Schedule 70, Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) Access Transport Services, and regional GSA contracts that support selected areas of the country.

CenturyLink ranks #55 on Washington Technology’s list of the Top 100 largest federal government contractors.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink is the third largest telecommunications company in the United States. The company provides broadband, voice, wireless and managed services to consumers and businesses across the country. It also offers advanced entertainment services under the CenturyLink^TM Prism^TM TV and DIRECTV brands. In addition, the company provides data, voice and managed services to enterprise, government and wholesale customers in local, national and select international markets through its high-quality advanced fiber optic network and multiple data centers. CenturyLink is recognized as a leader in the network services market by key technology industry analyst firms, and is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions for enterprises through Savvis, a CenturyLink company. CenturyLink’s customers range from Fortune 500 companies in some of the country’s largest cities to families living in rural America. Headquartered in Monroe, La., CenturyLink is an S&P 500 company and is included among the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. For more information, visit www.centurylink.com.