CenturyLink and Level 3 Merger Needs Boise Solution

If you heard about the merger between CenturyLink and Level 3 Communications over the last few months, the process has hit a snag and Boise is part of the problem.

Our area represents a problem for the soon to be combined company and their merger that is valued at $34 billion dollars.  The combined company would control too much of the marketplace for antitrust concerns in our region (at 70%), and we're not the only place that concern has arisen.  Albuquerque and Tucson, just like Boise, will have to sell off assets to conform to regulations.

The proposal would have CenturyLink selling portions of the Level 3 assets in the three impacted areas.

There is no word yet on what the combined company will mean for jobs here in Idaho, but it would seem that with the shuffling necessary, employees of both companies might be safer than if the merger had moved through as planned.

The Idaho Statesman has more on the background and solutions coming.