FairPoint completes 2013 Vermont Telecommunications Authority broadband expansion projects in rural communities

FairPoint Communications, Inc (Nasdaq: FRP) has completed work in 2013 on two broadband expansion projects made possible by grants from the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA). Additional VTA grants are expected to deliver broadband to more locations in 2014.
The two VTA grants, totaling more than $477,000, brought FairPoint’s broadband services to 58 more locations in the towns of Barnet, Bradford, Rochester, Rupert and Ryegate.’
‘FairPoint is committed to delivering high-speed broadband services to rural Vermont communities, and grants from the VTA allow us to do just that,’ said Beth Fastiggi, FairPoint state president for Vermont. ‘We’re proud to help the state meet its broadband goals and look forward to more opportunities to bring broadband to Vermonters.’’
‘We are very pleased with the broadband expansion work FairPoint has done with VTA funds,’ said Christopher Campbell, executive director of the VTA. ‘These two projects came in under budget and I congratulate the FairPoint team on a job well done in 2013. We look forward to more successes in 2014 as they complete two recent grant awards to bring broadband Internet to addresses that have been challenging to reach.’’
The VTA has awarded FairPoint more than $399,000 in grants for 2014 to bring services to 60 additional locations in Bennington, Brattleboro and Wilmington. More specific information on that expansion will be made available when it is completed.’
FairPoint has invested nearly $100 million in its network in the Green Mountain State and has added 1,100 miles of new fiber, providing high-speed access to more than 92 percent of its Vermont service areas. FairPoint’s new fiber-based, high-capacity network offers customers a better, faster way to communicate.’
FairPoint provides residential speed options up to 15Mbps. Broadband service on the IP-based network means customers can smoothly stream live video, play online games and upload photos and large files with ease. Reliable broadband access provides almost instant connections to information, news and entertainment.’
‘I can’t think of any other provider who has done more than FairPoint to bring broadband to Vermonters, and we’ll continue to seek out additional funding and grants that will help us continue our efforts,’ Fastiggi said ‘Broadband availability opens the doors to the world for the residents and businesses in Vermont and is fundamental to the state’s future economic growth.’
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (Jan. 15, 2014) ‘ FairPoint Communications, Inc’