[O]pponents of the Burlington Telecom sale have filed an appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court challenging the Vermont Public Utilities Commission’s February decision to approve the sale.
The City of Burlington and a holding company finalized the $30.8 million sale to Champlain Broadband, a local affiliate of Schurz Communications, in March following approval from the PUC.
A citizen group had been allowed by the PUC to intervene in the sale and argued that the PUC should not have approved the sale. The group said taxpayers were owed the almost $17 million in taxpayer funds then-mayor Bob Kiss diverted from city coffers to keep BT operating.
The PUC decided to rule against them and agree with the city’s argument that the deal would recoup the highest possible amount of the taxpayer funds under contention.
The citizens fighting the sale said earlier they believe that the PUC was wrong to find that its jurisdiction is limited to enforcing conditions of certificates of public good through imposing penalties or revocation, not blocking sales.
Mayor Miro Weinberger has touted the sale, highlighting that it fully resolved the $33.5 million Citibank lawsuit about Burlington Telecom, recovered near $7 million of the $17 million in taxpayer funds improperly used and ensured credit rating improvements would continue.
