July 02, 2009

New FairPoint CEO aware of challenge

I am excited to have been appointed chairman and CEO of FairPoint Communications. This letter is one way in which I plan to introduce myself. I am energized about this opportunity to serve as CEO at a pivotal time in FairPoint's development.

FairPoint seeks to dodge bankruptcy

By CLARKE CANFIELD The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine – The new head of FairPoint Communications said Wednesday the company will have to make some big changes to get out of its financial pinch, but he's optimistic it won't have to file for bankruptcy reorganization.

July 01, 2009

Report: Customers wouldn't notice FairPoint bankruptcy

A report in the Portland Press-Herald talks about the effect, or lack thereof, that a FairPoint bankruptcy would have in the region:

June 30, 2009

Report: Vermont hires advisor in case of FairPoint bankruptcy

Vermont Public Radio is reporting that Vermont has hired a bankruptcy expert to advise the state in case FairPoint files for bankruptcy.

June 26, 2009

FairPoint struggles to reduce debt

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

Problems with keeping customers, and with sending out and collecting bills, have cut into FairPoint's income so much that the company says it must delay interest payments on the massive debt that it acquired when buying Verizon's phone lines.

June 25, 2009

Unions: FairPoint hasn’t brought jobs

LITTLETON (AP) – Two unions say FairPoint Communications has not kept a promise to bring 50 jobs to an office in Littleton. FairPoint took over Verizon’s landline telephone network in northern New England in January.

June 24, 2009

Union: Promised FairPoint jobs never came

By Chelsea Conaboy Monitor staff

At a Littleton public hearing in 2007, Executive Councilor Ray Burton cited job creation in the economically depressed North Country as one reason he supported the $2.4 billion sale of Verizon's landline telephone network to FairPoint Communications.

June 16, 2009

Energy utility veteran named new CEO of FairPoint

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FairPoint Communications, Inc.announced today its Board of Directors has appointed David L. Hauser to the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

June 11, 2009

FairPoint wants NH stimulus funds

CONCORD (AP) – FairPoint Communications says it wants to compete for federal stimulus money to speed up broadband service in New Hampshire.

June 10, 2009

FairPoint hearing leaves more questions

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

If you were looking for specific information on FairPoint's financial health, a hearing Tuesday before state utilities regulators was not the place to find it.

June 05, 2009

Panel approves FairPoint notices

By CHELSEA CONABOY Concord Monitor

FairPoint Communications can begin issuing notices of disconnection to some customers who owe the company money, but it must do so with a limited number and then report back to the Public Utilities Commission, state regulators decided Wednesday.

June 03, 2009

FairPoint could send shut-off notices to some

By Chelsea Conaboy Concord Monitor

FairPoint Communications could soon begin sending notices of service disconnection to customers who owe the company for more than $750 in basic service and more than $500 in special services.

June 02, 2009

PUC to FairPoint: Wait to collect cash

By CHELSEA CONABOY Monitor staff

FairPoint Communications would like to begin collecting on their customers' past due telephone and Internet bills, but state officials want the company to resolve its own billing problems first.

May 14, 2009

NH funds can be used throughout FairPoint's entire service area

CONCORD (AP) — New Hampshire's Public Utilities Commission has given FairPoint Communications permission to use $50 million set aside for use only in the state to deal with its financial troubles, including in Vermont and Maine.

May 13, 2009

Verizon selling rural lines in 14 states

NEW YORK (AP) — In a deal reminiscent of the FairPoint sale, Verizon Communications Inc. said Wednesday it has reached a deal to sell scattered phone service areas outside its main Northeastern and Californian territories for $5.3 billion in stock.

May 09, 2009

Fairpoint's debt rating gets downgraded

Three major credit-rating institutions downgraded FairPoint Communications this week after the company released its first quarterly report since taking over operations of the landline telephone network in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont at the end of January.

May 06, 2009

FairPoint's problems prove costly

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

FairPoint's problems over the last few months have cost the company more than just customers. It turns out FairPoint has spent more than $19 million trying to fix the problems that came with taking over an operation five times its size.

May 05, 2009

Report: FairPoint CEO's base pay rises, but total compensation falls

The Portland Press-Herald reports that based on filings with the Security and Exchange Commission, FairPoint CEO got a 30 percent rise in base pay in 2008, to $600,000, and had total compensation last year of $1.2 million.

May 03, 2009

Callers have long waits – or just give up

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

More than half of weekday calls to FairPoint for consumer and business issues other than repairs were abandoned in mid-March, and callers who did talk to a representative waited an average of 15 minutes.

Pointing finger at FairPoint

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

Like so many other New Englanders, Eugene Schueller hasn’t had reliable e-mail service since the end of January. In fact, Schueller, of Nashua, claims he has had no e-mail service at all, despite receiving double bills for his telephone and Internet service.

May 01, 2009

May Day, May Day; FairPoint done forwarding 'verizon.net'

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

FairPoint's Internet customers can't use "verizon.net" any more. Starting today, e-mails sent to FairPoint customers with their former Verizon e-mail address will no longer be forwarded. FairPoint cut over to its systems at the end of January. Since then, Verizon has forwarded "verizon.

April 30, 2009

Report: FairPoint issues make phone firms' "retreat from rural America" less likely

A report in Telephony Online says the long-term strategy of Verizon to pull out of rural areas is likely to be derailed by the FairPoint difficulties: "Add to all this the fact that it's difficult to imagine this sort of Bell asset divestiture absent a fairly complicated deal structure — like the...

April 27, 2009

Fairpoint praised for Internet service

There have been a lot of complaints lately concerning Fairpoint billing, service, installation, etc., in the transition from Verizon, and we have had our own problems with billing.

April 22, 2009

Employee info device missing from FairPoint

By CLARKE CANFIELD The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine – A portable data storage device containing the personal information of more than 4,000 employees of FairPoint Communications Inc. has been reported missing, the telecommunications company said Tuesday.

April 21, 2009

FairPoint says data on 4,000 employees has gone missing

CHARLOTTE, N.C.(PRNewswire-FirstCall/) -- FairPoint Communications, Inc. today announced that a portable data storage device containing employee information was reported missing from a FairPoint office location. At this time, there is no indication that the data has been improperly accessed.

April 10, 2009

PUC's new rules require FairPoint to straighten up

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

Faced with serious and persistent complaints about FairPoint, public utilities officials have imposed a new set of strict requirements to more closely monitor the company's progress.

April 04, 2009

Vexed FairPoint customers air irritations

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

CONCORD – As people milled about Friday during a break from a packed FairPoint hearing before state regulators, the operator's voice came over the intercom and said in a well-known monotone voice: "Your call cannot be completed as dialed."

April 03, 2009

FairPoint says fix coming

CONCORD (AP) – FairPoint Communications Inc. is promising a short-term fix and long-term resolution to customer service problems that have dogged the company since it arrived in northern New England.

April 02, 2009

FairPoint to go before utilities commission

By CHELSEA CONABOY Concord Monitor

Barely a week goes by without a new round of complaints from FairPoint Communications customers. E-mail glitches. Double billing. Hours spent on hold with customer call centers. This week, some received late notices on bills they had already paid.

April 01, 2009

Regulators to hold hearing on FairPoint

CONCORD (AP) – New Hampshire regulators will hold a hearing Friday to hear how FairPoint Communications plans to reduce customer complaints.

March 27, 2009

Myriad of glitches spur regulators to turn up heat

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

With consumer complaints rising more than two months after FairPoint took over telephone and e-mail systems in Northern New England, regulators have begun publicly pressuring the company to fix its transition problems.

March 26, 2009

Report: FairPoint sets June deadline for fixing problems

A report in the Kennebec Journal says FairPoint has told regulators in Maine that it plans to have all the current problems fixed, but not until June.

100 FairPoint customers put out by DSL outages

By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer

MILFORD – About 100 FairPoint customers went without DSL Internet service Wednesday. Company officials said a bad circuit at a Manchester facility caused the outage. The outages were limited to southern New Hampshire, according to company spokesperson Jill Wurm, and were remedied by around 12:30 p.

March 25, 2009

Company prepares to file 'stabilization plan' for customers

By CLARKE CANFIELD The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine – FairPoint Communications is expected to file a report to regulators detailing how it plans to address mounting customer service and billing problems.

March 22, 2009

Maine regulators say complaints are increasing

The Portland Press-Herald reports that Maine's regulators say they are "receiving a surge in calls from residents upset about service from FairPoint Communications," including what appears to be a one-day record for calls to the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

March 20, 2009

FairPoint says it's ready to repay debt

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

FairPoint says its bill collection has improved so much that it no longer needs a three-month delay before it begins paying back the money used to buy Verizon's landlines.

March 18, 2009

Hawaii Telecom struggles with bankruptcy

Hawaii Telecom, the only company other than FairPoint to have bought all of Verizon's landlines in a state and operate them as a separate company, continues to struggle financially.

FairPoint customers to get rebates

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – About 20,000 FairPoint Communications customers in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont who lost e-mail service during the cutover from Verizon are eligible for credit rebates, the company says.

Customers worried about bills

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

Considering the list of problems that people can have with their phone company, Cynthia Ruonala's concern seems a little odd: They won't bill her, and she's worried.

Consumer advocate seeks information on firm's debt

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

Worries about "the suggestion of financial instability" by the state's new telephone company have led the state's Consumer Advocate to request more information from FairPoint at upcoming public hearings. "Requiring FairPoint to update the (Public Utilities Commission) . . .

March 16, 2009

FairPoint TV test - a report

The Portsmouth Herald talked to a few people testing FairPoint's TV-over-Internet service in the the greater Portsmouth area (including Kittery, Maine's town hall, which has it showing on a set in the public lobby!)

Regulators to hear request about debt-repayment delay

The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has scheduled hearings later this month on FairPoint's request to delay, by three months, making the first $11.25 million payment on its debt.

March 13, 2009

FairPoint transition troubles leave woman without lifeline

By RAY DUCKLER Concord Monitor

Meet Caren-Marie Bowman, a 57-year-old Concord woman who’s paid her dues and emerged with a smile. She has diabetes and asthma. She suffered a stroke, then lost her husband because of one. Her sister lost a leg in a motorcycle crash.

Customers fleeing company as problems mount

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Phone companies fear that customers will increasingly switch off their landlines in favor of wireless phones or phone service from cable TV providers. So the last thing FairPoint Communications Inc. needed was to send subscribers fleeing with a botched technical transfer.

With regulators at its heels, FairPoint wants delay in paying debt

By DAVID BROOKS Telegraph Staff

CONCORD – FairPoint Communications is asking for a three-month delay in paying back its debt as a way to conserve cash, even as regulators express concern about the amount of time it is taking the company to create new phone service for customers.

March 12, 2009

Report: FairPoint asks for debt-payment break

The Portland Press-Herald is reporting that FairPoint Communications is asking utility regulators in Maine, as well as in New Hampshire and Vermont, if it can delay a $11.25 million debt payment due at the end of March, to help conserve cash during a challenging economic period.

March 06, 2009

FairPoint ends dividend, says transition hurts liquidity

(Reuters) - FairPoint Communications Inc suspended its quarterly dividend and said its transition to a new billing platform could hurt liquidity in the first half of 2009, sending its shares down 9 percent.

March 04, 2009

Lost in the FairPoint shuffle: Usenet

One of the things that has happened in FairPoint's messy takeover of Verizon's land lines is the loss of connectivity to Usenet, the Internet's venerable (pre-Web) collection of discussion groups. My query today (March 4) to FairPoint got this answer about Usenet's future: "Not at this time.

February 25, 2009

Blog-to-be on FairPoint FAST TV service hits some dead air

By VANESSA PALANGE Staff Writer

With all the bad news surrounding the FairPoint e-mail takeover, it's hard to remember that the company is trying to do some cool things.

FairPoint ads offer e-mail apology

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The head of FairPoint Communications has gone on the air to apologize for problems affecting customer e-mail accounts in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. During the switchover from Verizon's systems this month, thousands of customers reported problems.

February 13, 2009

FairPoint Net service a sore point? You just might get a credit

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

The thousands of FairPoint customers who have faced e-mail and other Internet problems for almost two weeks may get some break on their bill as a result.

February 12, 2009

FairPoint issues finally ease up

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

Personal Web pages, dial-up accounts, e-mail systems – the list of problems resulting from FairPoint's takeover of Verizon's Internet service finally seems to be shrinking, but only after reams of complaints over nearly two weeks. "Since Monday (Feb.

February 09, 2009

FairPoint Watch wins New England journalism award

Congratulations to everybody who has participated in FairPoint Watch: The New England Press Association gave it the first-place award for community involvement at their annual awards in Boston last weekend.

February 07, 2009

Watch out for FairPoint impostors

The much-publicized problems surrounding the transition of e-mail from Verizon to FairPoint have apparently attracted the attention of scam artists.

February 06, 2009

FairPoint warns of e-mail scam

The much-publicized problems surrounding the transition of e-mail from Verizon to FairPoint have apparently attracted the attention of scam artists.

FairPoint e-mail troubles continue

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

E-mail problems related to the FairPoint transition continued Thursday and may not be solved until the end of the weekend, driving some customers to more frustration.

February 05, 2009

FairPoint e-mail problems even hitting the tech savvy

Problems with e-mail are continuing fir the fifth day for some FairPoint customers - including one of New Hampshire's best-known geeks, Jon "maddog" Hall of Amherst.

FairPoint grappling with e-mail

By DAVID BROOKS Telegraph Staff

FairPoint continued to struggle Wednesday in its efforts to return e-mail to all its customers in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, with long waits still being reported for toll-free help lines and online "chat" service.

February 04, 2009

Three unrelated issues causing bouncebacks

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

According to information provided by FairPoint to the state Public Utilities Commission, the e-mail snafu has three unrelated causes. The exact numbers of customers involved in each are uncertain.

FairPoint e-mail swap still wreaking havoc

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

Many thousands of people in three states are continuing to grapple with lost e-mails and difficulty getting advice due to the switchover from Verizon to FairPoint – and it's not just individuals who are affected.

February 03, 2009

Verizon-FairPoint e-mail transition hits an early snag

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

They’re called “migration issues” in tech-speak, but the people whose e-mail failed this weekend may have used different terminology.

February 02, 2009

FairPoint seeing problems with transition of e-mail addresses

FairPoint says it is looking into problems with some e-mail not being delivered, now that it has completely taken over Verizon's Internet access in New Hampshire, according to a spokeswoman. The company has added a Live Chat Support link on the right-hand side of its home page (www.myfairpoint.

January 31, 2009

Last chance for FairPoint e-mail switch is now

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

If you’re a FairPoint Communications Internet customer and still haven’t changed your e-mail address from the old Verizon domain, this is the weekend to do it. The final “cutover” from the old Verizon computer systems began at midnight and is expected to last 10 days.

January 30, 2009

FairPoint cutover begins tonight

A reminder to FairPoint customers: the final “cutover” from the old Verizon computer systems begins at midnight tonight.

Getting to the Point

Complex phone transition to FairPoint poised to wrap up

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

On Jan. 30, the cord will officially be cut on Verizon's landline business in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. Two years after the telephone giant announced plans to sell its landline and DSL business here to a little-known Charlotte, N.C., company for $2.

January 25, 2009

Getting to the Point

Complex phone transition to FairPoint poised to wrap up

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

On Jan. 30, the cord will officially be cut on Verizon's landline business in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. Two years after the telephone giant announced plans to sell its landline and DSL business here to a little-known Charlotte, N.C., company for $2.

TV service gives takeover a twist

By DAVID BROOKS Telegraph Staff

Perhaps the most intriguing possibility that has come out of the arrival of FairPoint doesn't involve phones or the Internet, but television.

January 24, 2009

FairPoint joins with Bank of America

By BOB SANDERS New Hampshire Business Review

The good news is FairPoint Communication has replaced the bankrupt Lehman Brothers with Bank of America to administer its takeover of Verizon’s landlines in northern New England, the company announced Thursday. The bad news is that there’s $30 million less in credit to administer.

January 23, 2009

Rating firm cuts outlook for FairPoint

CHICAGO (AP) - Fitch Ratings lowered its outlook for FairPoint Communications Inc. and also cut some of the company's ratings, citing a higher-than-expected amount of access-line losses and stricter borrowing requirements.

Loss of Lehman Bros. cuts FairPoint credit by $30 million

By BOB SANDERS New Hampshire Business Review

The good news is FairPoint Communication has replaced the bankrupt Lehman Brothers with Bank of America to administer its takeover of Verizon’s landlines in northern New England, the company announced Thursday.

January 22, 2009

Any FairPoint changes must be set by today

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

If you're planning to add or make changes to your FairPoint telephone or Internet service, do it today or you will have to wait until Feb. 9. Starting Friday, FairPoint will place a hold on all service installations while it completes the long-awaited official cutover from Verizon systems.

January 14, 2009

Service changes will have to wait

By CHELSEA CONABOY Concord Monitor

FairPoint customers looking to install, cancel or make changes to their landline telephone service should do it now or wait until mid-February. Starting Jan.

January 13, 2009

FairPoint switch may mean phone change delays

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- Utility officials in New Hampshire say residents or businesses making changes to their telephone service may see some delays in the next few weeks because of major changes involving Verizon and FairPoint Communications.

January 12, 2009

FairPoint to test TV over fiber on Seacoast

FairPoint plans a small test of television over fiber optic lines, perhaps as early as next month, on the Seacoast and in southern Maine, according to a report in the Portsmouth Herald.

December 30, 2008

FairPoint disputes Web story

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

If you didn't think there would be confusion about FairPoint taking over Verizon's phone lines, a process that will wind up by the end of January, then you don't read the geeky Web site Slashdot.

December 28, 2008

FairPoint: See your Webmail only through our portal

As part of the cutover, in which FairPoint will take complete control of Verizon's lines, the company has appeared to announce that its email cannot be seen through Web mail portals owned by other companies.

December 03, 2008

FairPoint to offer 100 flat-screen TVs for test

By Adam Leech Portsmouth Herald

PORTSMOUTH – FairPoint Communications will give free high-definition flat screen televisions to 100 Portsmouth homes as it tests new video television technology that it hopes will compete with Comcast in the near future.

December 02, 2008

Hawaii telecom files for bankruptcy

The parallels with FairPoint aren't exact, but the first company to buy all the local landlines from Verizon has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, in an attempt to refinance its hefty debt.

November 26, 2008

FairPoint tells Verizon: We're ready for January cutover

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – FairPoint Communications, Inc. announced Wednesday it has delivered its irrevocable notice of cutover readiness to Verizon Communications.

Maine OKs final FairPoint takeover

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – The Maine Public Utilities Commission has accepted FairPoint Communication’s decision to complete its takeover of all landline telecommunications systems and operations in Maine that were formerly owned by Verizon Communications.

November 18, 2008

FairPoint puts "hold" on new hiring

By CINDY KIBBE New Hampshire Business Review

A recently announced hiring “hold” by FairPoint Communications Inc. will temporarily slow the creation of new positions in New Hampshire.

November 17, 2008

Meeting today on final takeover of phone lines

KITTERY — Maine and New Hampshire regulators will meet Nov. 17 in Kittery, Maine, to discuss the final step of completing FairPoint Communications Inc.'s takeover of Verizon's land lines in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

November 16, 2008

S&P may lower FairPoint rating

NEW YORK (AP) – Standard & Poor's indicated Thursday that it may lower the debt rating of FairPoint Communications Inc. The ratings agency said the Charlotte, N.C.

November 13, 2008

FairPoint says it is ready to start transfer

By CHELSEA CONABOY Concord Monitor

FairPoint Communications on Wednesday notified Verizon that it will be ready to accept the transfer of Verizon's network at the end of January.

November 07, 2008

FairPoint on lookout for successor for exec

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – FairPoint Communications confirmed Thursday it is searching for a successor to chairman and chief executive Eugene Johnson but said it has no deadline to replace him. Johnson's contract expires at the end of next year.

November 06, 2008

FairPoint reaffirms support for CEO

Responding to reports that FairPoint Communications was seeking to oust its CEO and co-founder, the company on Thursday morning "reaffirmed Eugene B. Johnson’s standing as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer."

Report: FairPoint seeks new CEO

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that FairPoint Communications is looking to replace its CEO and co-founder, Gene Johnson, as the company continues to work toward integrating Verizon's phone system in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

September 25, 2008

Story details complexity of switchover

A story in Telecommunications Online details the complexity of the switchover from Verizon to FairPoint: Some points from the story:

September 17, 2008

FairPoint delays Verizon takeover

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

FairPoint Communications has announced a second, two-month delay in its official break from Verizon, pushing the takeover date back to late January.

September 16, 2008

FairPoint delays cutover; consultants say they're not ready

FairPoint Communications has again delayed the takeover of former Verizon operations in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont to FairPoint, by 60 days to the end of January. The "cutover" was originally scheduled for this month, then had been delayed to the end of November.

September 14, 2008

Fiber-optic service may stall for some

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

The fiber-optic Internet service in Nashua and southern New Hampshire that was built by Verizon has been given a new name – FAST – by its new owners, but that doesn’t mean the high-speed system is going to expand any time soon. “We’re adding 100 customers here, 100 customers there . . .

September 11, 2008

FairPoint board declares dividend

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The board of directors of telephone and broadband provider FairPoint Communications has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2575 per share on FairPoint's common stock.

September 05, 2008

FairPoint offers to speed up DSL customers

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

Some FairPoint Internet customers are getting the option to buy faster service under what might be called an interim tweak to the DSL network that the company bought from Verizon. "We're using some enhanced equipment to provide the increase . . .

September 04, 2008

FairPoint, Vermont study 911 problems

Officials running Vermont's Enhanced 911 emergency calling system said they were trying to determine what emergencies the system missed Wednesday when, for a period of nearly two hours, 911 calls placed in northern Vermont failed to connect.

August 13, 2008

Burned fiber cable cut long-distance service

CONCORD (AP) - FairPoint Communications said telephone problems that plagued a large part of New Hampshire since Monday night have been repaired.

August 12, 2008

FairPoint shares jump 17.5%

Shares of FairPoint Communications rose sharply Friday, a day after the telecom carrier reported its second-quarter results. Shares gained $1.05, or 17.5 percent, to $7.06 in afternoon trading. The stock has ranged from $5.95 to $19.83 over the past year.

August 03, 2008

FairPoint: Broadband to 75 percent of NH by September 2009

MANCHESTER (FairPoint press release) – FairPoint Communications will invest more

July 15, 2008

FairPoint tells Maine 911 problems are fixed

The Portland Press-Herald says FairPoint officials told a Maine hearing that 911 problems which plagued Cumberland County, Maine, from April to June have been fixed. New equipment has been installed and emergency officials from the area said problems have not resurfaced.

July 10, 2008

FairPoint looks to fill open positions

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

FairPoint Communications is holding a job fair today in hopes of filling 120 open positions in New Hampshire.

July 07, 2008

Another blog for FairPoint watchers

The Web site DSLReports has established a forum (basically the same thing as this "blog") to discuss FairPoint. It gets pretty technical at times, but is still worth a look:

June 29, 2008

Switching problem cut off long-distance

MANCHESTER (AP) – Telephone service was disrupted for Fairpoint Communications customers in southern New Hampshire for about 90 minutes on Saturday.

Phone service handoff not without issues

By DAVID BROOKS Staff Writer

Three months into the biggest telecom transition in northern New England history, the top issue at the regulatory level involves the complicated matter of handing off thousands of technical and support systems from Verizon to new owner FairPoint, a process that has been delayed until early winter.

FairPoint Watch

A variety of issues have cropped up among the 30 people who have contributed at one point or another to The Telegraph's FairPoint Watch program. Here are the most serious:

June 25, 2008

Deerfield loses 911 because line is cut

DEERFIELD (AP) - The town of Deerfield lost all phone service Monday morning, including 911, because of a break in a phone line, but it was later restored. Phone and 911 service was restored Monday afternoon.

June 23, 2008

Consultant's fears led to delay of takeover

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - FairPoint Communications reluctantly agreed to a two-month delay in completing its takeover of Verizon's northern New England landlines after a consultant funded by regulators expressed concern about FairPoint's readiness to assume full control, the Maine Sunday Telegram...

June 19, 2008

FairPoint cuts dividend, as required by state regulators

CHARLOTTE, N.C., (PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX) - The Board of Directors of FairPoint Communications, Inc. declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2575 per share on FairPoint's common stock.

June 18, 2008

FairPoint delays Verizon cutover

By The Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – FairPoint Communications Inc. said Tuesday that it will delay a cutover related to its recent acquisition of Verizon Communications' landline operations in three New England states.

June 17, 2008

911 problems in Bangor

The Bangor Daily News reported that a malfunction with the phone system at Penobscot Regional Communications Center in Bangor was continuing to cause emergency 911 calls to be routed through the Department of Public Safety in Orono on Monday, June 16.

June 04, 2008

Verizon: No more FairPoint-like sales

In Telecommunications Industry News, Verizon's chief financial officer, Doreen Toben, is quoted as saying that the company plans no more FairPoint-like sales of land lines, even as it expands its FiOS fiber optic system and its rural wireless footprint.

May 21, 2008

FairPoint Watch

Officials: N.H. not having 911 woes like Maine

By ASHLEY SMITH Staff Writer

New Hampshire has not seen any gaps in 911 service similar to those in Maine that have left FairPoint Communications “embarrassed,” apparently because the emergency service operates differently between the two states.

May 17, 2008

FairPoint profit drops in Q1

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Telecom carrier FairPoint Communications Inc. said Friday its first-quarter profit fell 34 percent, weighed down by some one-time customer credits and increased competition.

April 20, 2008

Readers' group notes first phone glitch

By DAVID BROOKS Telegraph Staff

As hundreds of thousands of telephone users around the state continue the transition from Verizon to FairPoint Communications, some are facing a bit of a surprise: Their automatic bill paying doesn't work anymore.

April 15, 2008

Readers lend eyes to FairPoint Watch

One of the positive changes that has occurred in journalism in recent years has been the willingness of newspapers to reach out to readers for assistance in reporting the news.

April 13, 2008

Network switch closely watched

By DAVID BROOKS Telegraph Staff

Northern New England's telephone network has begun its historic move from Verizon to FairPoint Communications, a transformation that's unique in the history of New Hampshire industry.

FairPoint CEO confident company will get job done

By KATE DAVIDSON Concord Monitor

FairPoint Chief Executive Officer Gene Johnson and his team of top executives crowded the balcony overlooking the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 31. FairPoint had just closed on a deal to purchase Verizon's Northern New England telephone network for about $2.4 billion. At 4 p.m.

March 31, 2008

FairPoint to take over Verizon's network today

By KATE DAVIDSON Concord Monitor

FairPoint Communications will take over Verizon's Northern New England telephone network today as scheduled, despite two tense regulatory hearings Sunday that threatened to upend the $2.4 billion deal in the eleventh hour.

March 19, 2008

Cost of Verizon bid doesn't sink FairPoint

By ASHLEY SMITH Telegraph Staff

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Despite spending nearly $24 million in the fourth quarter alone on its attempt to acquire Verizon's Northern New England telephone operations, FairPoint Communications saw overall profits of $6 million in 2007.

February 06, 2008

E-mail users' transition should be a bit easier

By DAVID BROOKS Telegraph Staff

The possibility that FairPoint will take over Verizon's Internet service in the state raises a question that always comes up online providers change hands: What happens to e-mail addresses? After all, mail sent to John Smith in Nashua at "johnsmith@verizon.

July 01, 2007

Fairpoint working hard to avoid phone problems that occurred with sale in Hawaii

By DAVID BROOKS Telegraph Staff

Do you want to know what life will be like if Verizon sells all its phone lines in New England? With any luck – and here’s a statement you don’t hear too often – it won’t be like life in Hawaii.

June 03, 2007

Who is FairPoint?

By TONY MECIA The Charlotte Observer

When executives at FairPoint Communications receive good news, they have a custom of cranking the gear on an 80-year-old wooden wall phone outside the CEO’s office.