FairPoint Expands Broadband Service in Robbinston and Portions of Calais, Pembroke, Charlotte and Perry
PORTLAND, Maine (March 27, 2013) – FairPoint Communications has completed work to extend broadband communications services to the remainder of Robbinston and small portions of Calais, Pembroke, Charlotte and Perry making high-speed Internet available for the first time to eligible customers.
More than 410 residents and businesses – who did not previously have broadband service – now have access to high-speed Internet. Approximately 310 are in Robbinston, 48 in Calais and 52 are in Pembroke, Charlotte and Perry. These residents are able to quickly e-mail photos, download large documents, utilize video conferencing and surf the Internet.
FairPoint received a grant through the ConnectME Authority for approximately 50 percent of the project cost of $81,100. FairPoint was responsible for the remaining amount of $40,550.
The grant garnered widespread backing from the community, as letters of support were included in the application from the selectmen and town clerk of Robbinston, former Maine State Senate President Kevin Raye, Representative Joyce Maker, Washington County Community College President Joyce Hedlund, Sunrise County Economic Council Executive Director Harold Clossey, the Superintendent of Schools AOS #77 and several letters from local businesses and individuals.
“FairPoint has invested more than $193 million in northern New England to expand broadband availability since 2008. However, delivering broadband to high-cost, hard-to-serve areas is a challenge,” said Mike Reed, FairPoint’s Maine state president. “We understand how important access to broadband is to the residents and businesses in the state and this demonstrates our continued commitment to support economic growth in Maine.”
High-speed connection areas include portions of the following roads in:
- Robbinston: Bates, Brewer, Garland, Gravel, Katie, Lake, Lakeside, Loone, McCoy, Ramsdell, Ridge, Robin’s, US Route 1, Sea Breeze, Sea View, Sherman, Sweeney, Trimble, Winter Cove and Woodcock.
- Calais: Bear Hollow, Chisholm, Evergreen, Howbrigg, Huckin’s Cove, Keene’s Lake, River, Shain Point, Shattuck and St. Croix.
- Pembroke: Ayer’s Junction, Boyden’s Lake, Mt. Tom, Ridge, River, Taylor and Upper Cross.
- Perry: Cook, Meadow, Otis, Ridge, Roy’s, Summer and Woodman.
- Charlotte: Charlotte and Station.
The ConnectME Authority was created in 2006 by the Maine Legislature to facilitate broadband availability throughout the state at affordable rates to Maine citizens. Grant applications are judged based on a number of criteria, including the projected percentage of households that would be served; the level of public-private partnerships created; the level of community support for the projects; and the financial viability of the projects.
About FairPoint Communications, Inc.
FairPoint Communications, Inc. (NasdaqCM: FRP) is a leading communications provider of broadband Internet access, local and long-distance phone, television and other high-capacity data services to customers in communities across 17 states. Through its fast, reliable fiber network, FairPoint delivers high-quality data and voice networking communications solutions to residential, business and wholesale customers. FairPoint delivers VantagePointSM services through its resilient IP-based network in northern New England. This state-of-the-art fiber network provides carrier Ethernet connections to support the surging bandwidth and performance requirements for cloud-based applications like network storage, disaster recovery, distance learning, medical imaging, video conferencing and CAD/CAM along with traditional voice, VoIP, video and Internet access solutions. Additional information about FairPoint products and services is available at www.FairPoint.com. You can also connect with FairPoint on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/myfairpoint) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/myfairpoint).
Media Contact:
Jeff Nevins
207.535.4170
jnevins@fairpoint.com
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