A new Frontier

Frontier Communications Corp. completed its $8.6 billion acquisition of some 4.8 million telephone accounts and operations in 14 states from Verizon Communications Inc., a deal that doubles the size of Stamford-based Frontier.

Frontier said the deal gives it 27,000 employees total, making it the largest rural telecommunications carrier in the United States and the fifth-largest incumbent local exchange carrier tracing its heritage to before the breakup of the Bell telephone system.

The deal includes 164,000 DirecTV customers and 69,000 accounts for Verizon”™s FiOS television and high-speed Internet service. Frontier has said it will continue supporting those FiOS accounts, without indicating whether it will seek to broaden the use of TV delivered over fiber optic cables.