Does it "benefit the public"?
The point of LD 1866 is to change the current standard of Maine PUC review of Telcom mergers from "does not create a public harm" to the higher standard of "benefits the public." The real issue is what to do about the spin-off of the Verizon rural wireline business units in Northern New England and their employees and their contracts to Fairpoint management, in a merged entity that Verizon would own 60% of the equity.
I took a look at Fairpoint's last balance sheet and was underwhelmed. the Verizon/Fairpoint deal looks like a labor ripoff. It sure isn't going to be more capable of bringing broadband to Maine north of Lewiston, or New Hampshire north of Manchester, or Vermont east of Montpellier.
Dennis Kucinich chairs the Domestic Policy subcommittee of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee of the House of Representatives, and he was in Prescott Park on the banks of Portsmouth Harbor today and he announced that he would hold a hearing to review Verizon's sale to Fairpoint.
Smart move. Not just union-smart, but digital-divide rural smart, public policy and sustainable infrastructure smart. Its a two-Americas thing, and its in the New Hampshire media market.
Good job Dennis!. I hope John has something to say. Fairpoint is headquartered in Charlotte, NC.
