Northern New England telecommunications provider FairPoint Communications recently announced the completion of two broadband expansion projects. The initiatives grow the company’s service footprint and boost bandwidth availability in five towns.
Previous grants
The two ventures were made possible through grants from the Vermont Telecommunications Authority, which awarded FairPoint with the funding in September 2012. The organization began offering the grants as an incentive to telecommunications providers to encourage service availability in rural areas. FairPoint Vermont state president Mike Smith said this builds on previous fiber to the tower expansion efforts being made within the organization.
‘FairPoint has invested nearly $100 million and added 1,100 miles of new fiber across Vermont to build a first-class broadband network and bring high-speed access to thousands more Vermonters,” Smith said.
VTA awarded two grants to FairPoint totaling more than $477,000. With this capital in place, the telecom was able to expand services to 58 more locations in Barnet, Bradford, Rochester, Rupert and Ryegate. VTA executive director Christopher Campbell said the organization is pleased with the work completed by FairPoint using the given funding. The projects were completed on time and under budget, and the VTA is looking forward to further success in bringing broadband services to areas that have previously been a challenge to reach.
Additional funding for 2014
The VTA is committed to continued support for FairPoint and recently awarded the company with additional grants of more than $399,000. This funding will also serve to grow the business’s FTTA network by bringing services to 60 more locations in and around Bennington, Brattleboro and Wilmington.
Currently, through the company’s $100 million in investments and additional fiber lines, FairPoint has now made high-speed Internet access possible for more than 92% of its Vermont service areas. The business can support residential speeds of up to 15 megabits per second, meaning customers utilizing the broadband service have reliable access to the IP network. In this way, individuals have the means to stream video, play online games and upload photos and large files in a streamlined, uninterrupted manner.
Beth Fastiggi, FairPoint state president for Vermont, said broadband accessibility creates more opportunities for residents and businesses within the state. In addition, the services are integral to economic growth in Vermont.
“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.
