Expansion Efforts Bring Broadband to More Than 60,000 Additional Households and Businesses
MANCHESTER, N.H. (January 31, 2011) – FairPoint Communications announced today it has met its goal to bring broadband to 85 percent of its customers in New Hampshire by the end of 2010.
This aggressive and unprecedented broadband expansion was financed solely by FairPoint and provides the infrastructure to allow more Granite Staters to capitalize on the increased availability. As part of the expansion, FairPoint has turned up more than 290 new high-speed Internet sites statewide making broadband available to more than 60,000 additional homes and businesses in New Hampshire.
Since April 2008, FairPoint has invested more than $135 million in the communications infrastructure and technology to bring broadband to northern New England, including building over 700 miles of new fiber across the region. FairPoint has invested more than $50 million in New Hampshire and has increased broadband availability from approximately 63 percent to the current 85 percent within its serving areas in the state.
“For over two years FairPoint has been working to increase broadband availability and improve our network in the Granite State,” said Teresa Rosenberger, New Hampshire state president. “We are very pleased to announce that we have met the target set by the regulatory agreement. Broadband access is fundamental to the state’s future economic growth and our employees have been working diligently to expand broadband availability across the state.”
FairPoint’s investment also resulted in a new network infrastructure called VantagePoint(SM). This fiber-based, high-capacity network delivers the critical bandwidth, data, and carrier Ethernet services that positions New Hampshire to compete in a technology-dependent world.
The new network’s dedicated bandwidth can support multiple users and bandwidth-intensive applications like video conferencing and e-learning. Additionally, VantagePoint delivers a robust and protected network with a full-range of communications services, which is essential to meeting the current and future demand for high-speed bandwidth in northern New England.
About FairPoint
FairPoint Communications, Inc. is a provider of communications services to communities across the country. Today, FairPoint owns and operates local exchange companies in 18 states offering advanced communications with a personal touch, including local and long distance voice, data, Internet, television and broadband services. FairPoint is traded on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol FRP. Learn more at www.fairpoint.com.
News Release
Media Contact:
Jill Healey Wurm
603.645.2606
jill.wurm@fairpoint.com
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