A plan to have Verizon Communications sell its northern New England phone lines to FairPoint Communications is another step closer.
The Federal Communications Commission voted yesterday 3-2 vote to allow the sale to go forward.
Commissioners felt it was "unlikely” the deal would result in any anticompetitive behavior or hurt the public interest.
Before the deal can be completed, it must be approved regulators in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Maine regulators have approved the sale, but have yet to issue a formal order. New Hampshire regulators have not signed off on the deal, but Vermont agreed on a tentative settlement.