Activists Collect 5,000 Postcards Urging NH Governor to "Stop the Sale"

A delegation of CWA & IBEW members, teachers, first responders, civic leaders and others delivered a wheelbarrow full of 5,000 "Stop the Sale" post cards to New Hampshire's governor as public hearings continued over the proposed tax-free sale of Verizon's access lines in New England to FairPoint Communications.

The signed post cards were gathered through a door-to-door canvas of households across the state and urged Governor John Lynch to "take a strong stand against allowing Verizon to sell its assets to FairPoint."

CWA and IBEW have been mobilizing workers, community and consumer groups to demonstrate the growing opposition to the sale. CWA research economist Kenneth Peres testified at the Oct. 30 hearing, stressing that FairPoint lacks the financial resources to provide reliable service to customers, especially high-speed Internet services. A media campaign, including radio messages and Internet ads, also are spreading the word among residents that the proposed sale is a bad deal for consumers. 

The ads and more information can be found at www.stopthesalenow.org. A decision by the state's public utility commission is expected within the next several weeks.

At a news conference at the state house, members of the delegation delivering the postcards described how the sale would harm telephone service, hurt jobs and the region's economy.

"Cutting edge technology is essential to keeping good paying jobs in the state," said Mark MacKenzie, President of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO. "If the sale is approved it could send New Hampshire and its economy backwards."

First responders charged that the proposal "poses risks that firefighters do not want to take. In order to assess the risk of an emergency, we need reliable information." Small business owners expressed concerns about a move by state regulators that could put future economic development at risk.