Highly unusual meeting . . .

Forbes reports

[Yesterday there was] a highly unusual joint meeting of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, the Maine Public Utilities Commission and the Vermont Public Service Board. The goal was to give regulators an update on FairPoint's efforts to stabilize its troubled operation systems, as well as organizational changes and financial matters.

FairPoint, which is based in Charlotte, N.C., owns and operates phone companies in 18 states, but its largest holdings by far are in northern New England, where it bought Verizon Communications ( VZ - news - people )' landline telephone and Internet business last year. The company officially took over the system seven months ago and has been beset with problems ever since.

Seven months ago. Problems ever since. You think Verizon had any idea what it was selling? Did the PUCs of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have any idea what their states were getting? Nah, this was probably a big surprise to everybody.

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