Will it be lights out for Qwest's blue sign?

 

By Patricia Calhoun

December 20, 2010

 

For years, the blue light of the Qwest sign has dominated the downtown Denver skyline, even as its been joined by other light shows -- the spire on the Four Seasons, the logo atop the Xcel building. But if the merger deal between Qwest and CenturyLink goes through, will it be lights out for this landmark?

Last Wednesday, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission signed off on the proposed deal, the fifteenth state to do so. If the rest of the states affected by the proposal approve it, as they're expected to, the headquarters of the new company will be in Louisiana, where CenturyLink is based.

As for Qwest, the company that got its start as Mountain Bell, then US West, looks like it might ride the light right out of town.