Lead Cables in Telecom Networks: Frontier Communications' CEO Statement

Lead cables represent a single-digit percentage of Frontier Communications' roughly 685,000 total miles of metallic cabling in its network, Frontier CEO Nick Jeffery (pictured above) told Wall Street analysts during an earnings call.

The lead-cable topic has swirled since early July 2023, when a Wall Street Journal report raised concerns about some U.S. telecom networks containing toxic lead cables. Telecom companies laid the lead cables decades ago and thousands were left behind, posing a hidden health hazard today, the report said.

During an August 4, 2023 earnings call, Frontier CEO Nick Jeffrey said: "I'd like to address the recent Wall Street Journal articles on lead sheath cables. First and foremost, we deeply care about the health and safety of our people, customers, and the communities we serve. Our policy has always been to comply with all environmental and occupational safety regulations, and we have no reason to believe that lead in Frontier cable has called any health or environmental harm."

After sharing the single-digit percentage estimate, Jeffery offered no additional comment about the topic during the earnings call.

Lead Telecom Cables: AT&T, Lumen, Verizon Executive Statements

Meanwhile, here is a regularly updated timeline of the telecom industry lead cable investigation. Plus, here are statements from:

• AT&T CEO John Stankey
• Lumen CFO Chris Stansbury
• Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg and CFO Tony Skiadas

So what's next? A House lawmaker, Rep. Pat Ryan of New York, in July 2023 requested a congressional hearing about lead-sheathed cables. We'll be listening for updates.