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Don't Kick New Hampshire Off the Information Highway

Target: New Hampshire State Legislature
Sponsored by: SpeedMatters.org

These days, Internet access is a must for vibrant communities.

Unfortunately, New Hampshire already ranks near the bottom of states when it comes to phone and Internet service. And it could get worse.

Verizon Communications is about to sell its telephone access lines to debt-ridden FairPoint Communications. If the sale goes through, most New Hampshire residents would have almost no opportunity to obtain high-speed Internet access.

Small communities need the education, job training and economic prosperity the Internet provides. It’s not right that New Hampshire residents, especially those in rural communities, get left behind!

Tell the State Legislature to reject the Verizon-FairPoint sale, and make sure high-speed Internet connections are readily available to all New Hampshire residents.

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 5,000

649
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Dear [Decision Maker],

I am extremely concerned about the proposed sale of Verizon's telephone lines to FairPoint Communications. If approved, this deal would put New Hampshire in the wrong lane on the information highway.

Maine's Public Utilities Commission recently approved the deal, despite strong opposition. While Verizon and FairPoint made concessions, those concessions are a step in the wrong direction, weighing FairPoint down with additional financial obligations rather than requiring Verizon to provide the $600 to $700 million that the Maine Hearing Examiner determined would be needed to make FairPoint financially viable.

FairPoint is already burdened with massive debt and has the highest rate of consumer complaints in the region. The revised agreement in Maine allows FairPoint to pay $950 million in dividends while earning just $430 million over the next eight years. In order for these numbers to add up, something will have to be sacrificed -- namely, the region's telecommunications infrastructure. FairPoint would be unable to provide the service quality and expanded access needed to ensure New Hampshire's economic growth in the 21st century.

High speed Internet service is no longer just a luxury. It is an economic necessity, offering benefits that go far beyond downloading music or watching online video. Innovations like e-commerce, telemedicine, and interactive distance learning and job training are boosting the economies of states across the country and nations across the globe.

New Hampshire must not make the same mistake as Maine. If our economy is to succeed in the digital age, we must keep up with the latest telecommunications technology. It's clear that FairPoint will not be able to deliver on this goal, so I strongly urge you to speak out against this bad deal for New Hampshire.

[Your comment here]

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

We signed the “Don't Kick New Hampshire Off the Information Highway” petition!

# 100:

6:03 am PST, Jan 17, Heidi Holt, New Hampshire
Please don't kick NH off the highway!

# 99:

6:02 am PST, Jan 17, Katherine Bollenbach, New Hampshire
Selling New Hampshire's telephone lines? That'll effect more than just the internet; I can't even get good telephone service where I live at the moment, let alone DSL.

# 98:

6:01 am PST, Jan 17, Adem Certel, United Kingdom

# 97:

5:59 am PST, Jan 17, Susan Walker, California

# 96:

5:59 am PST, Jan 17, Deb W., New Hampshire

# 95:

5:58 am PST, Jan 17, Kristin Busch, New Hampshire

# 94:

5:57 am PST, Jan 17, Judith C. Muse, New Hampshire

# 93:

5:54 am PST, Jan 17, Kara Jankowski, New Hampshire

# 92:

5:52 am PST, Jan 17, Pam Angulo, New Hampshire

# 91:

5:48 am PST, Jan 17, Amy Dumond, New Hampshire

# 90:

5:46 am PST, Jan 17, Brenda Clark, New Hampshire
Verizon stands to make millions on this deal while we gain a company that has a huge debt.

# 89:

5:44 am PST, Jan 17, Deb Klein, New Hampshire

# 88:

5:41 am PST, Jan 17, Linda Saucerman, New Hampshire

# 87:

5:37 am PST, Jan 17, Fleur Palau, New Hampshire

# 86:

5:31 am PST, Jan 17, David Anderson, New Hampshire
The union the represents many of Verizon's employees in New Hampshire is opposed to this sale. Seems like no one really wants to see it go through - for good reason!

# 85:

5:27 am PST, Jan 17, Maureen Cram, New Hampshire
NH deserves what the rest of the US has! This is not the way to go.

# 84:

5:27 am PST, Jan 17, Anne Mitts, New Hampshire

# 83:

5:26 am PST, Jan 17, Dale Wisler, New Hampshire
We need competitive options for Internet access in NH.

# 82:

5:23 am PST, Jan 17, Phil Andrews, New Hampshire
Don't do this. Fairpoint is debt-ridden and can't be counted on to provide improved services.

# 81:

5:21 am PST, Jan 17, Christina Foss, New Hampshire
Everyone have talked to is against this sale. Please don't do it!

# 80:

5:19 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, New Hampshire
stop the monopoly

# 79:

5:18 am PST, Jan 17, Carol Judd, New Hampshire
I am handicaped and this, the internet, is my connection to the outside world. Please say no to this sale.

# 78:

5:17 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, New Hampshire

# 77:

5:14 am PST, Jan 17, Shannon White, New Hampshire

# 76:

5:12 am PST, Jan 17, A.M. Durant, New Hampshire

# 75:

5:12 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, New Hampshire
The internet is slow enough in NH...we don't need to slow it down some more!!!

# 74:

5:11 am PST, Jan 17, Wendy Sears, New Hampshire

# 73:

5:05 am PST, Jan 17, John Meloney, New Hampshire

# 72:

5:04 am PST, Jan 17, S. Shapleigh, New Hampshire
Who is behind Fair Point? I believe their motives are to be questioned.

# 71:

5:03 am PST, Jan 17, Michael Rabasco, Minnesota

# 70:

5:03 am PST, Jan 17, Lynn Angwin, New Hampshire

# 69:

5:03 am PST, Jan 17, Michael Morse, New Hampshire
Internet access is a necessity in the modern world. Verizon should be required to provide high speed access to all its customers in the the state. It should not be allowed to pass off its obligations to a inadequately finaced midget that we can count on to fail to make improvements and to figure out a way to avoid its obligations in health care and pension benefits to current Verizon employees.

# 68:

5:01 am PST, Jan 17, Patricia Bacon, New Hampshire
this is not what we want for nh

# 67:

5:01 am PST, Jan 17, Carol Batchelder, New Hampshire

# 66:

5:00 am PST, Jan 17, Bob Whatmough, New Hampshire
they just don't have the organization to perform, don't allow it.

# 65:

4:59 am PST, Jan 17, Cindy Kilkenny, New Hampshire

# 64:

4:58 am PST, Jan 17, Robin Day, New Hampshire

# 63:

4:58 am PST, Jan 17, Roger Francoeur, New Hampshire

# 62:

4:57 am PST, Jan 17, Donna L. Stilwell, New Hampshire

# 61:

4:55 am PST, Jan 17, Kathryn A. Calder, New Hampshire
No selling off our communities' information lifelines to some outfit that is not sound! Hi-speed Internet access should be enhanced, not compromised and threatened.

# 60:

4:54 am PST, Jan 17, David Monty, New Hampshire
Tired of being controled by these 'service' companies.

# 59:

4:51 am PST, Jan 17, Thomas Croteau, New Hampshire

# 58:

4:51 am PST, Jan 17, Ray Brian, Kentucky

# 57:

4:51 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, New Hampshire

# 56:

4:50 am PST, Jan 17, Elizabeth Snider, New Hampshire
As a rural resident of NH, I deserve more than just one (expensive) option of satellite access.

# 55:

4:47 am PST, Jan 17, WWW WI, Germany

# 54:

4:47 am PST, Jan 17, DAVID YARNES, New Hampshire

# 53:

4:31 am PST, Jan 17, Debra Arnold, Michigan

# 52:

4:00 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, California

# 51:

3:38 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, Minnesota

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Don't Kick New Hampshire Off the Information Highway

This petition has been closed.