FairPoint Communications to Provide Maine with a Statewide Next-Generation 9-1-1 System

PORTLAND, Maine (May 21, 2013) – The state of Maine has given final approval of FairPoint Communications’ contract to provide the state’s Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) system. The five-year contract is worth $32 million and will provide Maine with a modern Internet Protocol (IP)-based network capable of meeting future public safety needs.

It will make Maine one of the first states in the nation to deploy a NG9-1-1 system closely aligned with the National Emergency Number Association standards published in June 2011 known as i3. The emergency services IP network (ESInet) will serve more than 1.3 million people in the state.

FairPoint will provide the system and support to serve all of Maine’s 26 Public Safety Answering Points – known as PSAPs – which have responsibility to answer all 9-1-1 calls in their local coverage area. Every Maine community is matched with a local PSAP. The Public Utility Commission’s Emergency Services Communication Bureau manages both the implementation and operation of the statewide Enhanced 9-1-1 service that FairPoint currently provides.

FairPoint’s next-generation, state-of-the-art system is designed to handle emergency communications in Maine. NG9-1-1 networks differ from existing systems in that they are designed to keep pace with the way people communicate today. This includes the capability of delivering voice, text, video and enhanced data to the PSAP. The network will improve call setup time and increase the speed at which voice and data arrive at the PSAP, thereby improving service. It will also improve emergency response by giving public safety personnel better information about situations prior to arriving on the scene.

“The new Maine 9-1-1 system will use leading edge technology to provide the platform for next-generation communication technologies such as voice, video, pictures and text messaging,” said Karen Romano, FairPoint’s vice president – government, education and research. “Together with our suppliers Solacom and GeoComm, FairPoint will provide a robust, redundant and secure statewide emergency system that solidifies the state’s leadership role in providing NG9-1-1.”

Solacom Technologies, Inc. will supply call center controllers, workstations and emergency services routing proxy (ESRP) equipment for the system. Each PSAP throughout the state, including a training center, will receive new Solacom Guardian intelligent workstations (IWS) that equip telecommunicators with state-of-the-art IP desktops for responding to 9-1-1 calls. Workstations will include mapping to display the location of emergency calls on a monitor.

GeoComm, Inc. will provide the Emergency Call Routing Function (ECRF) and Location Validation Function (LVF). ECRF receives information about the location of a 9-1-1 caller and routes the call to the right PSAP. The LVF validates the actual location of the caller through a Geographic Information System (GIS). The systems are designed to more accurately determine the location in order to dispatch the fastest response. FairPoint will implement GeoComm’s GeoLynx Server for 9-1-1 call mapping in all 26 of the state’s PSAPs.

“FairPoint brings a state-of-the-art technical solution, a robust and resilient network, and the skill, commitment and capabilities of our people who maintain our network,” said Mike Reed, FairPoint Maine state president. “This project to upgrade the state’s emergency system is a huge undertaking and the new infrastructure and services will be phased in over time to ensure a smooth transition.”

FairPoint has invested more than $193 million in communication infrastructure and technology to upgrade its state-of-the-art, fiber-based core network in northern New England. This investment has paved the way for FairPoint to serve the growing needs of the Maine 9-1-1 system. This network is designed and built as a data network and is the largest of its kind in the three-state region.

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 Internet 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/fairpoint), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/myfairpoint) and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/fairpoint-communications).