DENVER (AP) – Adelphia Communications Corp. has reached an agreement to sell its long-distance business to Maine-based Pioneer Telephone for about $1.2 million.

The agreement, which must be approved by a federal bankruptcy judge, comes as the nation’s fifth-largest cable television company seeks to complete the sale of its assets to Time Warner Inc. and Comcast Corp. in a multibillion dollar deal.

Adelphia Long Distance was excluded from assets to be sold to the cable companies. It serves about 110,000 customers and 27 states.

Peter Bouchard, Pioneer founder and vice president, said Tuesday the Adelphia assets would be a good match for his company, which also can ensure that Adelphia customers retain service.

In a Friday filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Adelphia said it was preparing to close the business when it received an offer from Pioneer, a privately held Portland, Maine-based company founded in 1989.

A hearing is set July 26 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York.

Philadelphia-based Comcast and Time Warner agreed in April to acquire Adelphia’s cable assets and some liabilities for $12.7 billion in cash and 16 percent of the common stock of Time Warner’s cable subsidiary, Time Warner Cable Inc.

Based in suburban Greenwood Village, Adelphia, with more than 5 million customers in 31 states and Puerto Rico, filed for bankruptcy in 2002 after disclosing $2.3 billion in off-balance-sheet debt. Founder John W. Rigas and others were accused of looting the company and cheating investors out of billions of dollars.

Rigas, 80, was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison while his son Timothy, 49, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on convictions for bank fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy.