PORTLAND (AP) — Unions representing Consolidated Communications workers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont authorized a strike if negotiators fail to reach an agreement before their contract expires in less than two weeks, officials announced Wednesday. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Communications Workers of America are engaged in their first contact negotiations since […]
FairPoint
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FairPoint name vanishing as Consolidated begins rebranding
In this Friday, Jan. 12, 2018, photo, Chris Bagley of Sebago Signworks pulls off the covering of a new Consolidated Communications logo he applied to the door of a former FairPoint truck as fleet mechanic Steve Morin looks on in Portland, Maine. Consolidated Communications bought FairPoint Communications and is discarding the old name and making […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine to host forums on ending landline in several communities
AUGUSTA (AP) — The state is holding a series of public forums on the upcoming deregulation of basic landline telephone services in Maine. A 2016 law says FairPoint Communications no longer has to provide universal landline access regardless of profitability in Maine’s 22 most populated towns. The law is being rolled out in phases, and […]
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Maine regulators sign off on FairPoint sale
HALLOWELL (AP) — Maine has become the first state in northern New England to sign off on the $1.5 billion sale of FairPoint Communications to Illinois-based Consolidated Communications. The Maine Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously in favor of the deal Wednesday after Consolidated agreed to invest at least $52.2 million in its infrastructure in Maine. […]
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FairPoint, Consolidated shareholders approve merger
Consolidated Communications and FairPoint Communications say their shareholders have approved of a proposed merger of the two companies. Consolidated announced in December it was buying FairPoint for $1.5 billion, assuming its debt and offering dividends to stockholders. Shareholder voting took place Tuesday at Consolidated in Illinois and FairPoint in North Carolina. FairPoint is a Charlotte-based telephone and […]
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Analyst: Fairpoint sale could mean more cable TV options in Maine
PORTLAND — The Illinois-based company that’s buying FairPoint Communications is likely to expand broadband and compete with cable companies for some TV customers in northern New England, a Wall Street analyst says. Consolidated Communications already has video offerings in other markets, and the existing FairPoint network can support such service in parts of Maine, New Hampshire […]
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Unions cautiously optimistic over possible FairPoint sale
Unions representing FairPoint Communications workers in northern New England say they view its potential $1.5 billion sale to an Illinois-based broadband and business communications company with cautious optimism. Union leaders said Monday they’re looking closely at Mattoon-based Consolidated Communications’ finances, technical capacity and history of labor relations and the regulatory requirements for the sale. The […]
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Maine Public Utilities Commission expands FairPoint investigation
AUGUSTA — State utility regulators are expanding an investigation of FairPoint Communications for failing to meet minimum service standards for landline customers. The Maine Public Utilities Commission has been considering a $500,000 fine against FairPoint for failing to meet standards in 2014 and 2015. FairPoint had asked regulators not to open an investigation into standards […]
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FairPoint to layoff 35 workers in Maine
FairPoint Communications is laying off 110 workers across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Spokeswoman Angelynne Beaudry said Friday that the cuts amount to about 35 workers in Maine, 55 workers in New Hampshire and 20 workers in Vermont. Beaudry says the cuts are in response to an 11 percent decline in landlines over the past […]
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Maine PUC considers $500,000 fine for FairPoint
AUGUSTA — Maine regulators are considering a $500,000 fine for FairPoint for failing to meet service standards for landline customers during a period that included a four-month strike. North Carolina-based FairPoint, which provides telephone service in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, contends bad weather and a cyberattack, along with the strike, contributed to unforeseen events […]