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Coalition Asks Maine Governor to Oppose Verizon Landline Sale

Showing growing opposition to the proposed sale of Verizon landlines to FairPoint Communications, a delegation including CWA Local 1400 Steward Cliff Knapp delivered more than 5,000 postcards to the governor of Maine at his office in Augusta on Sept. 25 asking him to oppose the sale.

The postcards, collected door-to-door and delivered by union members, seniors, first responders, parents and health care providers, asked Gov. John Baldacci to "take a strong stand against allowing Verizon to sell its assets to FairPoint."

Maine Public Advocate Richard Davies received the cards for the governor. The event received coverage from three TV stations, the Associated Press and public radio, and coincided with the third and final public hearing on the proposed sale that evening, conducted by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

At a news conference, Knapp expressed doubt that FairPoint will be able to provide quality telephone service and high-speed Internet to Maine residents and voiced concern for his daughter's education, for consumers and shareholders and for his own job security.

"For the last few years, Verizon has totally abandoned the Northern states," Knapp said. "It's left the network in complete disarray. I don't think FairPoint knows what they're buying."

He also cited a report by the Liberty Group, commissioned by the PUC to study the proposed deal. "It's an unbiased group," Knapp said. "As the current deal is structured, they don't believe that FairPoint has the resources to make it work."

"If this sale is approved it could send Maine and its economy backwards," said Ed Gorham, president of the Maine AFL-CIO. "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."

CWA has opposed the sale in written testimony to the public utility commissions of all three states that would be affected – Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire – and CWA members have been active for months in the mobilization to raise public consciousness about the harm that it would bring.

All three states have now concluded their public hearings on the deal.  The Maine PUC will conduct technical hearings Oct. 2-5 and Oct. 9-12, then the hearing examiner will submit a report to the PUC in November and the PUC will begin deliberations after Thanksgiving.

All three states are expected to make their decisions some time in December. The sale also requires the approval of the Federal Communications Commission.