The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Nov. 5, edition that BCE is acquiring Internet provider Ziply Fiber for $5-billion, expanding into the U.S. The Globe's triple bylined item reports that the news led to a nearly 10-per-cent drop in BCE's share price, which is now at $40.47, matching levels from late 2011. The acquisition allows BCE to operate in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho, providing fibre Internet to 1.3 million locations. BCE plans to upgrade Ziply's copper network to faster fibre, aiming for a total of three million fibre connections in four years. Moody's endorsed the transaction, calling it "credit positive" and "strategically appropriate." The deal, however, triggered critical reaction from some analysts, who questioned BCE's strategic shift in pausing dividend increases and spending heavily to acquire a company outside its current geographic footprint that could require significant capital expenditures in the coming years. Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi said, "Investors in Canadian telecom are in the sector for dividends and not in it to get growth, they can get it elsewhere." He added, "No dividend increases in the foreseeable future represents an important strategic change."