NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: July 23, 2012 Neil Grace, 202-418-0506 Email: neil.grace@fcc.gov STATEMENT FROM FCC CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI ON FAIRPOINT COMMUNICATIONS’ CONNECT AMERICA FUND ANNOUNCEMENT “Last year, the Commission’s unanimous vote to create the Connect America Fund put the nation on the path to connect all Americans to high-speed Internet, without increasing overall funding. Today’s announcement by FairPoint means that more than 50 towns in Vermont and Maine will be connected to new broadband, and thousands of previously unserved Americans will get broadband within the next 12 months alone. In today’s economy, access to broadband means access to jobs and economic opportunity, in addition to better education and healthcare. I applaud FairPoint for its commitment to accelerate broadband build-out by increasing private investment in rural communities, in partnership with the Connect America Fund.” -FCC-