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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: 1-10-2009
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!
# 200:
11:54 am PST, Jan 17, Barbara Ballou, New Hampshire
# 199:
11:46 am PST, Jan 17, Michael Stewart, New Hampshire
# 198:
11:38 am PST, Jan 17, Sherri Covell, New Hampshire
Just because people choose to live in a rural, off the beaten path area does not mean they want to hide away from the rest of civilization. Inteligent, expressive & creative people often look for solitude to clear their heads, not to dissapear & drop off the face of the earth. Dropping New hampshire from the info high way is going to hurt the economy, the education system and the people. We are a proud people, hard working and highly intelligent, why do you think we are #1 in the primaries?
# 197:
11:36 am PST, Jan 17, Lynda Bagot-Parker, Oregon
# 196:
11:24 am PST, Jan 17, Llew Taylor, Pennsylvania
# 195:
10:53 am PST, Jan 17, Suzie Gordon, New Hampshire
# 194:
10:51 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, Nevada
# 193:
10:44 am PST, Jan 17, D. Gibbons, New Hampshire
Where we are, we still only have dial-up. It is painfully slow, and I need a faster connect for my work. This is a rich state- why can't we get better service??!?
# 192:
10:40 am PST, Jan 17, Patricia Corliss, New Hampshire
# 191:
10:29 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, New Hampshire
The internet is as important to information as water is to the body. We all need it. Yours Roy Jewell
# 190:
10:19 am PST, Jan 17, Margaret Brick, New Hampshire
We demand easy internet access for all NH residents!
# 189:
10:19 am PST, Jan 17, Patricia Toher, New York
# 188:
10:14 am PST, Jan 17, Helen Lauenstein, New Hampshire
It is already difficult to get cell phone service. Having a good communication system doesn't seem like too much to ask in this modern world.
# 187:
10:12 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, Massachusetts
# 186:
10:07 am PST, Jan 17, Klaire Usai, Italy
# 185:
10:03 am PST, Jan 17, Rebecca Everhart, Indiana
# 184:
10:01 am PST, Jan 17, Alberto D'Assumpcao, Portugal
# 183:
9:57 am PST, Jan 17, Sharon Collette, South Carolina
# 182:
9:57 am PST, Jan 17, Linda Ajello, New Hampshire
New Hampshire residents should have all options available to them in regards to internet and other methods of communication.
# 181:
9:49 am PST, Jan 17, Darlyne Best, New Hampshire
# 180:
9:48 am PST, Jan 17, Rajashekhar Chava, Pennsylvania
# 179:
9:46 am PST, Jan 17, Thomas Botkin, New Hampshire
keep other options available
# 178:
9:41 am PST, Jan 17, Joyce Sykes, New Hampshire
# 177:
9:40 am PST, Jan 17, Zach Staley, New Hampshire
AnyOne anywhere deserves access to goods at LEAST equal to that around them, especially if it is not only in the realm of possiblity, but right their at their fingertips!
# 176:
9:36 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, Texas
# 175:
9:30 am PST, Jan 17, Judith Abbott, New Hampshire
No, no, no. Our cable bill is already so high I hate to think what it will be if this sale goes through
# 174:
9:27 am PST, Jan 17, Thomas Frost, New Hampshire
# 173:
9:24 am PST, Jan 17, Marissa Dupont, New Hampshire
# 172:
9:23 am PST, Jan 17, Jonathan Knowles, United Kingdom
# 171:
9:22 am PST, Jan 17, Nicky Elizabeth, Maine
# 170:
9:22 am PST, Jan 17, Anne MacMahon, United Kingdom
# 169:
9:15 am PST, Jan 17, Venessa Hughes, New York
# 168:
9:14 am PST, Jan 17, Rose Izikoff, New Hampshire
# 167:
9:09 am PST, Jan 17, Aleta Devork, New Hampshire
# 166:
9:09 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, Maryland
# 165:
8:57 am PST, Jan 17, Statton Rice, New Hampshire
The FairPoint deal is a step backward for NH
# 164:
8:57 am PST, Jan 17, Dellianan Of the Sea, Colorado
# 163:
8:48 am PST, Jan 17, Paula Lepore, Maine
New Hampshire is not unlike any other state in the Union. They need to stay in the loop of information technology with everybody else in order to support their citizens in being conscious, responsible people. Make the responsible decision with regard to selling internet services. Think before making the wrong decision, please.
# 162:
8:48 am PST, Jan 17, Athanasia Giagtzidou, Greece
# 161:
8:38 am PST, Jan 17, Rev. Annie Haws, Georgia
# 160:
8:24 am PST, Jan 17, Muriel Schlecht, New Hampshire
I'm confined to the house 95% of the time caring for my elderly mom. Realiable and quality internet access is a lifeline to everything I need....income, shopping, education, research, etc.
# 159:
8:16 am PST, Jan 17, Denis Dionne, New Hampshire
# 158:
8:08 am PST, Jan 17, Name not displayed, New Hampshire
We live in a small town in northern NH. My daughter is a teenage mom and is depending on online courses to help her earn her high school diploma. How could you possibly take that away from her??
# 157:
8:04 am PST, Jan 17, Herb Klein, New Hampshire
# 156:
7:54 am PST, Jan 17, Amy Schumacher, Ohio
# 155:
7:51 am PST, Jan 17, Vidya Sims, California
# 154:
7:50 am PST, Jan 17, Alicia Smith, Illinois
# 153:
7:46 am PST, Jan 17, Rene Siracusa, Texas
# 152:
7:44 am PST, Jan 17, Johnna White, New Jersey
New Hampshire has the right to join the 21st Century! Don't let this awesome State fall behind.
# 151:
7:43 am PST, Jan 17, Jenny Bodwell, New Hampshire
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