BRIEF

Jul 31, 2010 — The Palm Beach Post

Susan Salisbury

Jul. 31, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Verizon (NYSE:VZ) , AT&T (NYSE:SBT) (NYSE:T) and CenturyLink, the biggest telephone landline providers in Florida, lost approximately one million subscribers in 2009, the Florida Public Service Commission said today. Smaller landline or "wireline" providers also saw a decline in customers.

The PSC released its annual report on the Status of Communications in the Telecommunications Industry to the Florida Legislature today. It shows many consumers cut spending in 2009 by curbing telecommunications services. However, Voice over Internet Protocol, (VoIP) broadband, and wireless services continued to gain customers.

Wireline companies that also offer wireless services were able to recoup some of the losses, but the growth rate of wireless is slowing. The Federal Communications Commission reported approximately 16.2 million wireless handsets in use in Florida as of December 2008. The PSC estimates there were 1.8 million Florida residential VoIP subscribers as of December 2009.

The pay telephone industry also noted a decline. The Florida Public Telecommunications Association reported the number of Florida pay telephones dropped from 20,000 to 16,500, about 18 percent, in 2009.

The report can be found at www.floridapsc.com/publications/reports.aspx#tele.

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