WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Officials: Despite Problems, FairPoint Doing More than Verizon

Officials: Despite Problems, FairPoint Doing More than Verizon

Montpelier, Vermont - October 12, 2009

FairPoint Communications has expanded high-speed Internet service in Southern Vermont.

The expansion will help 2,000 customers in Dummerston, Hartford, Stratton Mountain, West Dover and West Windsor. FairPoint says it has increased high-speed Internet service from 65 percent to 76 percent across Vermont.

The company has had problems with billing and service help and is having financial problems. Regulators are investigating whether FairPoint should keep operating in Vermont. Despite the problems, state officials say customers would not have better service now if the state had stayed with Verizon, the previous carrier.

"If we had turned down this acquisition and stayed with Verizon we would have been in a very tough place as well," says Vt, Public Service Commissioner Dave O'Brien. "It was a very tough sort of situation we were in a couple of years ago. We had a company that didn't want to be here and a company who really wanted to be here but certainly had a lot in front of them to succeed and clearly they have struggled."

There is no time frame for when state regulators will finish the investigation into FairPoint.

Kristin Carlson - WCAX News