Title

Article examining the potential impact of the Verizon-FairPoint telephone-compan

Authors

Jeff Inglis

Source

Portland Phoenix

Date

8-24-2007

Pages

8, 10

Abstract

Article examining the potential impact of the Verizon-FairPoint telephone-company merger on broadband internet access for rural Mainers. The proposal calls for Verizon to sell the wired-telephone parts of its business in northern New England to FairPoint. Though emphasis has been placed on the deal's impact on bringing DSL service to rural Mainers, the focus should instead be on fiber-optics technology, which is widely accepted as the future of high-speed Internet connections. If the merger is approved, FairPoint says it will expand DSL service to some areas that don't have it, but will not invest in fiber technology. This will leave Maine behind the rest of the country again, as it is estimated that 80 percent of U.S. homes will have fiber connections in 15 years. With comments by Richard Davies, Maine public advocate; and Joe Savage, president of Fiber to the Home Council (FTTH).

Subjects

Telecommunications, Verizon Communications, FairPoint Communications

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