1012 Corridor

MONROE [AP] — CenturyTel Inc. is expected to close its acquisition of Embarq Corp., forming a new rural telecommunications giant.

The Federal Communications Commission signed off last week on the Monroe-based company's proposed purchase of Embarq, based in Overland Park, Kan.

The companies say they expect to close the deal today. The combined company, to be named CenturyLink, will have 8 million telephone lines spanning 33 states, 2 million broadband customers and about 400,000 subscribers.

Embarq serves rural areas and smaller cities in 18 states from coast to coast. It's also the main phone company in Las Vegas. CenturyTel's service areas are mainly in the South and Midwest, although it provides some service in Colorado and the Northwest.