"On essentially flat sales of about $1.59 billion during the third quarter, Embarq’s net income dropped nearly 5 percent to $1.01 per share from $1.06 in the same period a year ago.
***The volume of unpaid bills has been rising*** and customer growth has been slowing, in part because the economic downturn has resulted in the construction of fewer new homes in some Embarq markets. While its territories primarily are rural, ***Embarq also serves regions such as Las Vegas that have been hit hard by the housing meltdown.***"