Verizon has secured all regulatory approvals to close its acquisition of Frontier Communications.

It comes as the carrier this week received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to push ahead with the deal.

The carrier expects to close the acquisition on Tuesday, January 20.

Verizon first announced an agreement to acquire Frontier in September 2024, as part of plans for the telco to bolster its fiber offering against its rivals AT&T and T-Mobile.

Once the deal completes, Verizon will expand its fiber footprint to almost 30 million locations across 31 states and Washington DC.

However, approval has come with set conditions, following extensive public participation, testimony from multiple parties, and negotiated settlement agreements with consumer advocates and labor organizations.

Among those conditions, the CPUC has set out that Verizon expands affordable voice and broadband options, including protections for low-income customers and California LifeLine participants.

On top of this, the carrier is also expected to support continued broadband investment and network reliability, particularly in communities currently served by Frontier, while also protecting rural and copper customers.

CPUC also noted that the decision adopts multiple settlement agreements that include additional commitments related to affordability, service quality, labor protections, infrastructure deployment, and $500 million in spending with California small businesses.

“California isn’t just approving a merger, we’re securing real commitments that will connect communities, lower costs for families who need it most, and strengthen workforce and supplier diversity protections," said John Reynolds, the CPUC commissioner assigned to the case.

"With robust conditions and independent oversight, we’re ensuring these commitments translate into real improvements for California families and standing up for California values to support our diverse communities.”

Verizon previously gained approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) after the carrier agreed to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (DEI).

As of the last quarter, Frontier provides fiber to 8.8 million locations.

“The path to closing the Frontier acquisition marks a significant milestone in Verizon's evolution and is a bold step forward in Verizon's transformation to regain market leadership,” said Verizon CEO Dan Schulman.

“Upon closing, we will be uniquely positioned to offer our customers the best combined mobility and fiber experience for mobile, home Internet, and other essential services across a significantly expanded footprint. Verizon is wholly focused on serving and delighting our customers and earning their trust and loyalty. After the transaction closes next week, our greatly expanded footprint will enable us to provide more value to more households and businesses in more regions, driving our growth and benefitting our customers and our shareholders.”

Frontier only filed for bankruptcy in 2020 with debts of more than $16bn, as the company sought to turn around its fortunes and cut around $10bn of that debt. A year later, the company exited bankruptcy.

The fiber provider had previously acquired Verizon’s rural fixed-line assets for $6.8bn in 2010, covering 14 states, before snapping up operations in California, Florida, and Texas for $10.5bn in 2015.

Despite some public pushback from some of Frontier's shareholders, 63 percent of stockholders voted in favor of the deal, including ten of the company's top 12 stockholders.

Earlier this week, Verizon suffered a major outage across the US, with tens of thousands of users reporting that iPhones are stuck in 'SOS Mode.'