AUGUSTA (AP) — The state is holding a series of public forums on the upcoming deregulation of basic landline telephone services in Maine.
A 2016 law says FairPoint Communications no longer has to provide universal landline access regardless of profitability in Maine’s 22 most populated towns.
The law is being rolled out in phases, and FairPoint has now asked regulators for permission to stop providing price-controlled landline service to those who ask in Bath, Yarmouth, Old Orchard Beach, Westbrook and Freeport.
Public meetings in each town are set to kick off in September and October.
The 2016 law said the company must continue providing such services to current customers for another year. The law still covers more than 100 other communities where FairPoint is the provider of last resort.
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