Vermont issues serious warning to FairPoint

A Department of Public Service spokesman is warning FairPoint Communications that its license to operate in Vermont is in serious jeopardy. The Department filed a petition last month demanding to know why FairPoint should be allowed to continue operating despite problems its customers have been dealing with ever since February, when FairPoint took over landline phone and Internet service from Verizon. The department's Stephen Wark said, "It's not a bluff." Regulators in New Hampshire and Maine have been reporting similar problems with FairPoint. The company paid $2.3 billion for the networks in the three states. FairPoint spokeswoman Beth Fastiggi said the company would describe the progress it has made in a meeting to be held tomorrow.