Frontier Communications has faced a string of lawsuits tied to its internet service, including a Federal Trade Commission case over misleading DSL speeds, a $5.64 million class action settlement following a 2024 data breach, an $11 million robocall settlement, a $15.5 million securities fraud settlement with investors, and regulatory actions in several states. Verizon closed its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier on January 20, 2026, and now operates the network; some obligations from these cases carry over to the new owner.
2024 Data Breach Settlement
On April 14, 2024, an unauthorized third party accessed parts of Frontier’s IT systems. The breach exposed personal data belonging to more than 751,000 people, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.1Cybersecurity Dive. Frontier Communications Attack The RansomHub ransomware group claimed responsibility and said it had taken data on more than two million customers, though Frontier’s own disclosures cited the lower figure.2Security Affairs. RansomHub Gang Hacked Frontier Communications
Three class actions filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas were consolidated on September 9, 2024, under Amber Wilson et al. v. Frontier Communications Parent, Inc., Case No. 3:24-cv-1418-L.3ClassAction.org. Wilson v. Frontier Communications Parent Inc. Settlement Notice The parties reached a $5,640,000 settlement. Class members who received Frontier’s June 2024 breach notification could claim up to $5,000 for documented losses or an estimated flat payment of $100 without documentation, plus two years of free credit monitoring.4Frontier Data Settlement. Wilson v. Frontier Communications Settlement Frontier did not admit wrongdoing.5Top Class Actions. $5.64M Frontier Communications Data Breach Class Action Settlement
The court granted preliminary approval on August 20, 2025 and held a final approval hearing on November 18, 2025.6ClassAction.org. $5.6M+ Frontier Settlement Ends Class Action Lawsuit Over Data Breach If you missed it, you missed it: the October 27, 2025 claim deadline has passed, and the claims portal is closed.7Frontier Data Settlement. Wilson v. Frontier Communications Claim Login
The FTC Internet Speed Case
The lawsuit that most directly targeted Frontier’s internet product came from the Federal Trade Commission. On May 19, 2021, the FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, California, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin sued Frontier in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Case No. 2:21-cv-04155), alleging the company charged customers for high-speed internet it could not actually deliver, particularly on its DSL network.8FTC. Frontier Communications Corporation Case Page Frontier initially called the suit “without merit.”9Frontier Communications. Frontier Communications Responds to FTC Lawsuit
A stipulated order filed on May 5, 2022 ended the case. Frontier agreed to pay $8,573,570 in civil penalties and costs to the Los Angeles County and Riverside County District Attorneys’ offices, plus $250,000 in restitution to affected California consumers.10Riverside County District Attorney. DA’s Office Announces Nearly $69 Million Civil Settlement Between Frontier Communications The company also committed an estimated $50 million to $60 million to deploy fiber-optic internet to 60,000 residential locations in California over four years.11FTC. FTC Takes Action Against Frontier for Lying About Internet Speeds
The consent order also changed how Frontier could sell service. It was barred from offering DSL to new customers unless it could deliver the advertised speed, prohibited from signing up new subscribers in congested areas, and required to notify existing customers if their speeds fell below what they were paying for, giving those customers the option to change plans or cancel without charge.12PCMag. FTC Forces ISP Frontier to Install Fiber After It Lied About Speeds
Robocall Settlement
In a Telephone Consumer Protection Act case filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, plaintiff Diana Mey accused Frontier of making thousands of telemarketing calls using automatic dialing systems and calling numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.13Law360. Frontier to Fork Over $11M to End TCPA Class Action Frontier agreed to an $11 million settlement. Each class member received a $90 base payment, and anyone who had received multiple calls got an additional per-call share of the remaining fund.14Bailey Glasser. Frontier to Pay $11 Million Settlement to Recipients of Illegal Telemarketing Calls
Securities Fraud Case (Investors, Not Customers)
Frontier also faced a shareholder class action, which is a separate track from any consumer claim. Investors sued in 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, alleging Frontier misled them about its $10.5 billion acquisition of Verizon’s wireline operations in California, Florida, and Texas. The consolidated case, led by the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System and Carlos Lagomarsino, covered a class period from April 25, 2016 through October 31, 2017.15Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP. Frontier Communications Corp.
Plaintiffs alleged Frontier overstated its readiness to absorb millions of new customers and understated integration costs, which they said approached $1 billion against an initial estimate of roughly $450 million, causing investors roughly $2 billion in losses. The case settled for $15.5 million, with final approval on May 20, 2022, judgment on June 29, 2022, and a distribution plan approved on November 21, 2023. An initial distribution went to class members in January 2024, followed by a second distribution in October 2025.15Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP. Frontier Communications Corp. Only Frontier shareholders during the class period could claim from this fund; internet customers as customers were not eligible.
Restocking Fee Case
In July 2024, a putative class action titled Sabrowski v. Frontier Communications Parent Inc. was filed in California, alleging Frontier charged a hidden $50 restocking fee when customers canceled service, despite advertising that customers would “never have to worry about hidden fees.”16Truth in Advertising. Frontier’s Restocking Fee Frontier moved to compel arbitration. Before the court ruled, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case without prejudice on February 27, 2025, meaning the claims could be refiled.17CourtListener. Jeffrey Sabrowski v. Frontier Communications Parent Inc.
State Regulatory Actions
Chronic service complaints drove parallel action by state regulators. In West Virginia, where Frontier took over Verizon’s network in 2010, customers filed more than 13,000 informal complaints and over 500 formal complaints with the Public Service Commission between 2010 and 2023, with annual filings peaking at nearly 1,400 in 2022.18Mountain State Spotlight. Verizon Frontier Deal Phone Broadband19Weirton Daily Times. Concerns Remain After PSC Approves Frontier Bankruptcy Agreement20News and Sentinel. PSC Accepts Frontier Bankruptcy Settlement After Letters Urge Scrutiny
Pennsylvania regulators extracted their own concessions during Verizon’s reacquisition. On September 11, 2025, the state’s Public Utility Commission approved a settlement requiring Verizon to audit Frontier’s copper and fiber networks within 10 months of closing, create a multi-year modernization plan, resolve at least 75 percent of reported issues within 90 days, and cap residential and small-business rates in former Frontier areas through January 1, 2028.21Pennsylvania PUC. PUC Approves Settlement in Verizon Acquisition of Frontier Communications
What the Verizon Acquisition Means
Verizon’s $20 billion acquisition of Frontier closed on January 20, 2026, after the FCC approved the deal on May 16, 2025 and California signed off on January 15, 2026. Frontier common stock was delisted from Nasdaq, and Verizon now operates the network across 31 states and Washington, D.C.22Verizon. Verizon and Frontier Regulatory Approval23ROI-NJ. Verizon Completes $20B Acquisition of Frontier Communications Regulatory obligations from the earlier cases, including the FTC’s California fiber build-out, West Virginia’s fiber deployment target through 2027, and Pennsylvania’s rate cap through 2028, describe network commitments that now sit with the acquirer.