Commenting on the declaration of bankruptcy by FairPoint, the Monitor notes that "utilities are classically required to provide universal service." Telephone service, now known as "landlines," reached our home some time in the 20th century. But 10 years into the 21st, there is still no DSL, no fiber optics, no FIOS. The cable TV company says they would hook us up for $3,249.

Living as we do on the wrong side of the digital divide, we have taken keen interest in the travails of FairPoint and wondered often whether its plans to extend broadband service might some day reach as far as Canterbury. We are not holding our breath.

But an interesting opinion came Friday from the New Hampshire Supreme Court, which ruled that a landlord could not cut off a tenant's cable TV service.

According to Justice Gary Hicks, "Modern cable television also pertains to the habitability of a dwelling and a person's well-being. Indeed, many people access essential telephone service, the internet, news information and entertainment by way of cable."

If our highest court now sees cable as essential a service as electricity or water, might we be close to a time when the Public Utilities Commission would become more aggressive in its demands on broadband providers? We won't hold our breath, but we are ever hopeful.

ARNIE ALPERT and JUDY ELLIOTT

Canterbury