FairPoint to put $7 million it owes Vermont in penalties toward expanding broadband

FairPoint Communications says it will settle $7 million in service quality penalties imposed by the state by expanding broadband Internet access to areas of Vermont currently without it.

The company and Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller say the settlement is designed to help push the state toward Gov. Peter Shumlin's goal of having broadband access in all parts of Vermont by the end of 2013. Under the agreement, the state and the company will jointly craft a plan to get broadband to 51 communities currently without it.