PORTLAND – Verizon on Thursday filed a formal application to federal regulators to provide out-of-state long distance service in Maine.

Verizon, which already received conditional approval from state regulators to provide the service in Maine, said the new filing is part of its efforts to spread the benefits of competition in the Northeast.

“This filing builds on our successful filings in other New England states and advances our ability to offer a complete menu of telecommunication products to our customers on the East Coast,” said Tom Tauke, a Verizon spokesman.

Verizon already received permission to provide out-of-state long distance services in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.

As a former regional Bell company, Verizon must get approval from the Federal Communications Commission before it can offer long distance in the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states where it provides local phone service. The FCC has 90 days to review Verizon’s long-distance application for Maine.