by James Parks, Dec 5, 2007

In October, workers delivered more than 5,000 postcards to New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch asking him to oppose the sale.

Public opposition to the proposed sale of Verizon’s New England landlines to FairPoint Communications just keeps growing as more and more people realize how bad a deal it really is.

The Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader reports today that nearly nine out of 10 letters filed with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (NHPUC) through mid-November oppose the sale, according to an analysis released by Jobs with Justice. 

The paper reports that of 252 letters and e-mail messages taking a position on the proposed $2.7 billion sale, 225 comments, or 89 percent, were against the sale, while only 27 were for it, according to the analysis. A whopping 97 percent of comments submitted by elected officials opposed the sale.  

If you live in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont, you can act now to stop this sale. Click here for more information and to tell your state legislators and regulators to stop Verizon from abandoning New England.

Verizon wants to sell its northern New England landlines to FairPoint for $2.7 billion. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine must approve the sale. If they do, Verizon will be allowed to abandon its so-called low-value residential customers in the three states—primarily rural customers—while keeping its more profitable customers, including Big Business and wireless users.

Under the deal, Verizon would qualify for a $600 million tax break and would control 60 percent of FairPoint. FairPoint is a small, highly leveraged North Carolina-based firm that can provide only dial-up Internet access or, at best, DSL service, a technology widely regarded as already outdated and inadequate for rural economic development.

Glenn Brackett, business manager for Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2320, told the Union Leader: 

As people became aware of what this deal was about, they became overwhelmingly against it. It’s a sweet deal for two companies and nobody else. 

We’ve noted that workers in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, led by IBEW and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) have mobilized to stop the sale. New England’s congressional members also are on record against it. 

On the day before Halloween,  a delegation, including representatives of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, IBEW, CWA,  Fire Fighters, Alliance for Retired Americans and the AFL-CIO community affiliate, Working America, delivered more than 5,000 postcards in a wheelbarrow to New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D) asking him to oppose the sale.  

At that time, state federation President Mark MacKenzie said: 

If this sale is approved, it could send New Hampshire and its economy backward. Cutting-edge technology is essential to keeping good-paying jobs in the state. FairPoint has not demonstrated it has the resources or the technology to keep pace with today’s world. 

The Maine Public Utilities Commission  will consider the proposed sale on Dec. 13. New Hampshire and Vermont commissions have not set dates for deliberations, but all three commissions are expected to rule on the case by the end of the year.  

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