FairPoint Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRP) is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and operates communication services in 32 markets in 18 states, mostly in rural areas.

FairPoint services include local and long distance phone service, data, Internet, broadband, television and business communications solutions.

FairPoint was founded as MJD Communications Inc. in 1991, and was established as an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier (ILEC) which gave it certain rights and obligations regarding providing service to rural areas.

The company acquired the Cass County Telephone Company in 2006, integrating its operations into FairPoint Communications Missouri.

In 2007, FairPoint had about 330,000 access points or customers. In that year, Verizon Communications announced plans to sell its landline operations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont (Northern New England Spinco) to FairPoint for $2.7 billion. Of that amount, $1.7 billion would go to Verizon Communications in cash and debt and approximately $1.015 billion would go to Verizon shareholders in FairPoint common stock. Verizon would hold no stock.