FairPoint extends DSL broadband to 14 more New Hampshire towns

FairPoint (Nasdaq: FRP) on Wednesday hatched a plan to expand broadband availability in 14 towns in New Hampshire, a move that will bring service to about 1,845 homes and businesses.

These towns included in this latest New England broadband push are Brentwood, Campton, Dublin, Gilmanton, Hooksett, Loudon, Milton, Moultonborough, Northwood, Pittsburg, Plymouth, Sandwich, Sugar Hill and Wakefield.  

In New England, the telco said it has invested $182 million to upgrade its last mile and core network infrastructure, including building out more fiber in the region, to deliver broadband services to more customers.

The service provider said that this latest expansion is part of an expansion is part of a broader effort to increase broadband access to 95 percent of its service areas in New Hampshire. 

Elsewhere in New England, FairPoint has made similar upgrades in both Vermont and Maine.

In Vermont, the service provider allocated $6.6 million to extend broadband DSL service to 19 rural communities, including Chelsea and Washington. Later, in July, it secured a $2.2 million grant under the FCC's Connect America Fund (CAF)  to extend broadband service in 53 Vermont towns that it said were either unserved or don't have broadband access.

Last December, Fairpoint claimed it had met its goal of expanding high-speed internet service to 87 percent of Maine, an assertion that has been debated by Maine's Public Utility Commission.

With its traditional voice revenues continuing their expected decline, the service provider has been putting more energy into both broadband services and business services. Updated regulations in its three New England states will also enable the telco to more effectively battle new competitors like the cable operators for more business customers.

While its Q2 2012 earnings report illustrated that landline voice losses did cut into its total revenues, it saw growth in both broadband and business services. Its broadband subscriber base grew 5.1 percent sequentially over Q1 2012, while a rise in Ethernet services drove up business revenues to $10.2 million in the quarter.

For more:
- see the release

Special report: Wireline in the second quarter of 2012

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