FairPoint, Maine CLEC caught in billing spat

FairPoint is fighting another battle in Maine against competitive provider Great Works Internet (GWI) of Biddeford, which claims that the troubled ILEC owes it about $2 million.

Great Works has asked Maine's Public Utilities Commission to investigate FairPoint's business processes.   

The debate between the two companies has become a case of he said/she said because FairPoint claims that GWI actually owes them $2 million to buy wholesale capacity on their telephone lines. Adding to the complexity of the feud, which dates back to 2005 when Verizon owned the lines, FairPoint said that Bankruptcy Court not the PUC has the right to rule on GWI's claims.

"The bottom line is they disagree with us. And we disagree with them," Nevins said. "We feel we have legal standing."

GWI claims that FairPoint was overcharging it for the lines it uses to connect business customers. However, FairPoint says GWI is refusing to pay market rate prices that FairPoint can set for the lines. A previous court decision apparently gave FairPoint the right to charge market rates versus those set by the PUC.

This is not the only time that FairPoint has found itself defending its wholesale service practices in Maine. In July, the Maine PUC slapped [1] FairPoint with a $400,000 fine for providing poor service to competitive carriers.

For more:
- CED via Associated Press has this article [2]

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