No public money for telecoms ... unless it's public money we're talking about ...

by: Rama Schneider

Fri Oct 23, 2009 at 06:39:43 AM EDT

At least folks are talking about re-payment.

Meanwhile Fairpoint, which according to the Times Argus "paid $2.4 billion for the [Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine] network, is mired in debt and edging closer to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, which would allow the North Carolina corporation to restructure", is taking an entirely different and more market based approach ... they've applied for almost $38 million dollars in grant money from the federal government to help bail their financial asses out! (FairPoint calls on unions to help avoid bankruptcy, Times Argus, 10/23/09)

Tom Evslin, the state official who is transitioning from being Vermont's Recovery Officer to its Chief Technology Officer, said this build-out is in addition to what FairPoint has already promised the state that it would do.

"We did sign a letter of recommendation for this funding," Evslin said.

Nope - nobody talks about repayment there.

And certainly Montpelier's cautionary tale on making deals with financially shaky firms isn't having any play in this.

Here's the unpleasant truth, and it has been recognized across the existing power structure's political spectrum: bringing modern day communications to Vermont requires government intervention and public cash.

Stop beating up on BT for needing the helping hand, put ECFiberNet high on the priorities list, encourage more locally controlled municipal communications ventures, and then maybe ... if they can prove they deserve it ... pass that money on to Fairpoint.