FairPoint Communications : ME Broadband Upgrades HANCOCK Castine, Orland and Penobscot

News Release

Media Contact:

Angelynne Beaudry 207-210-3079

aamores@fairpoint.com

FairPoint Upgrades Broadband Service 145 locations in Hancock County

Upgrades allow for improved internet access and speeds in Castine, Orland and Penobscot

"High speed internet access fuels Maine's economic engine by unlocking new ways to be more productive, compete for business far past the storefront, and enable learning beyond the confines of a classroom," said Mike Reed, Maine state president for FairPoint."Our team has been extremely busy over the past year completing these broadband projects that bring critical improvements to the "last mile" of FairPoint's network to increase broadband speeds to these unserved and underserved areas. These projects provide immediate benefit to the locations impacted enabling those in more rural and remote areas to take full advantage of the digital age."

To help support expansion and operation of broadband services in high-cost areas, in 2015 FairPoint accepted Phase II of the Federal Communication Commission's Connect America Fund (CAF). The projects in the following communities are funded through CAF Phase II and the Company's own significant direct investments.

In Castine, portions of North Penobscot Road and in Orland, portions of East Toddy Way and Short Point Way were upgraded. In Penobscot, portions of the following streets were upgraded:

These locations will now qualify for download speeds of up to 15 Mbps2, based on the distance from the customer location to FairPoint's servicing equipment, which ismore than sufficient speedto smoothly stream high-definition video, browse the web or participate in online gaming.

To find out more details, including internet service speed eligibility, information about prices and bundled plans, or to schedule a professional installation of services, residential consumers can call 1-866.984.2001 and business customers can call 1-866.984.3001.

About FairPoint Communications, Inc.

FairPoint Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: FRP) provides advanced data, voice and video technologies to single and multi-site businesses, public and private institutions, consumers, wireless companies and wholesale re-sellers in 17 states. Leveraging an owned, fiber-based Ethernet network - with more than 22,000 route miles of fiber, including approximately 18,000 route miles of fiber in northern New England - FairPoint has the network coverage, scalable bandwidth and transport capacity to support enhanced applications, including the next generation of mobile and cloud-based communications, such as small cell wireless backhaul technology, voice over IP, data center colocation services, managed services and disaster recovery. For more information, visit www.FairPoint.com.

###

1 Services are provided through operating subsidiaries of FairPoint Communications, Inc.

2 Maximum Internet speeds referenced are only available in select areas. Internet speed claims represent maximum network service capability. Actual customer speeds may vary and are not guaranteed. Actual speeds vary based on a number of factors including site traffic and congestion, components within your computer such as processor speeds, memory and hardware and software configuration, content provider server capacity, internal network management factors and customer device capabilities.