Do we like them?

Do we like Verizon?

US wireless and broadband giant, based in New York; bought fiber firm Frontier in January 2026.

Our score: 4 out of 10. Not yet. A huge, essential network, but a record of privacy fines, a hard-edged job-cutting turnaround and past billing settlements. We'd watch before backing.

Verizon is one of America's biggest phone carriers. Since January 2026 it has also owned Frontier, a fiber broadband firm bought in a $20 billion deal. Frontier is now a wholly owned subsidiary, and its fiber reach covers 31 states and Washington DC, according to Verizon's own filing.

Dan Schulman, formerly of PayPal, became CEO in October 2025 after Hans Vestberg. Semafor reports he found the culture bureaucratic and risk-averse, and he has been pushing a hard turnaround. In January he said Verizon had lost about 2.25 million customers in three years, mainly to price rises and competition.

The turnaround has cost jobs. Light Reading says the 13,000 layoffs promised last November are done, and the CFO said the company is running leaner. Startup Fortune counts 21 WARN notices covering nearly 5,700 workers since January, with more cuts still coming through October.

On privacy, the FCC fined Verizon about $46.9 million over customer location data. Fox Business reports the Supreme Court has refused to revisit the penalty. Verizon also settled a $100 million class action over undisclosed admin fees without admitting wrongdoing, and it faces a business-customer data-breach suit.

There's some good news. To close the Frontier deal, California regulators required affordable-plan price freezes and new fiber and rural towers. But those are conditions it had to accept, and the layoffs and fines weigh heavier. We land at a cautious 4 out of 10.