by Mike Rogoway, The Oregonian

Nearly all Oregonians will get a new phone company in the next year.

The transition starts at the end of this month, when Connecticut-based Frontier Communications takes over Verizon's local phone, Internet and cable TV operations -- including more than 300,000 phone lines in Oregon.

It continues in 2011 when CenturyLink of Louisiana expects to complete its purchase of Qwest Communications, which has 800,00 access lines in the state.

Traditional phone lines are less a part of our lives than they have been in many decades. Oregonians, like people everywhere, are increasingly dumping home phones in favor of cell phones and shifting their communication online.

Initially, the new companies will bring few changes beyond the name at the top of the monthly bill. In time, though, the coming upheaval in Oregon's telephone landscape could have big implications for the state and its residents.

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