FairPoint ready, willing and able to serve Maine

“Progress is impossible without change.” George Bernard Shaw’s message still rings true and is especially pertinent today as FairPoint Communications prepares to become northern New England’s primary wireline telecommunications provider after the completion of its proposed transaction relating to Verizon’s wireline operations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Good people are the lifeblood of America’s businesses, and we look forward to welcoming the existing, talented work force which has provided excellent service under Verizon’s structure. FairPoint’s own hiring process for additional positions (approximately 675) has already begun. A number of highly experienced industry experts have already joined the FairPoint team and have made our bold strategic plan their focus.

We are excited to implement our significant expansion of broadband across the three states, reaching many towns that are currently underserved and introducing this essential service to many areas where there has historically been a void.

Our plans to deploy the most up-to-date broadband technology available – similar to what’s being installed in other parts of the country – will begin immediately after the transaction is final. We recently announced our plan to construct an advanced broadband network using Internet Protocol and Multi-Protocol Label Switching over the existing Verizon fiber backbone network. Technology jargon aside, this network will go a long way to providing northern New England’s business community with what they need to compete in the global market. The reach, flexibility and scalability of this new MPLS platform is expected to strengthen the region’s economic foundation, attract business and industry that follow this type of investment, and allow companies with multiple locations to perform with superior technology at their fingertips.

We are intent on being an economic development partner throughout the three states. Telecommunications, after all, is a basic component of economic growth and recognizing future potential. We have started meeting with economic leaders across the three states, whose mission it is to bring growth to many regions throughout the Northeast. We seek to work collaboratively with these agencies and commissions, offering tools to enhance the good work they have already done.

We have already begun to invest in state-of-the-art customer service technology, new back office systems and the network so crucial in today’s information age. This investment, which is expected to total more than $200 million over the next two years, is necessary to ensure a smooth transition and real technological progress across the three states.

FairPoint, a publicly traded company on the NYSE, has an enterprise value of more than $1 billion. We have significant financial resources and access to capital today, even before the transaction is complete. We have the backing and support of Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America. These institutions are confident and eager to see this transaction close so the benefits to the consumers in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine can materialize. Once the all the necessary approvals are met for the transaction, FairPoint will be the eighth-largest telephone company in the country, and our business will be centered and focused on northern New England.

We want to be a vital partner in the three-state region; rural and small urban telecommunications is all we do. Through our current New England operations, we have come to know and respect the requirements of our customers. They demand excellent customer service and increased access to high-speed data and telecommunications services. Our commitment is to connect northern New England to a brighter future.

Gene Johnson is the CEO of FairPoint Communications.