Teleport Communications Group Inc. Wins Authority to Become Colorado's "Other Local Phone Company"

Business Wire, Nov 6, 1996

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 6, 1996--Teleport Communications Group Inc. (TCG) today received state authority to become Colorado's "Other Local Phone Company" by giving Denver and Boulder businesses a full service, competitive option to the incumbent local telephone company.

"TCG commends the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for its ongoing effort to bring competitive local telecommunications options to state consumers. With the commission authority granted to us today, TCG will be able to expand our range of services for local businesses," said Michael Ruley, Vice President and General Manager of TCG's Denver and Boulder network.

"Since 1995, TCG has steadily expanded its network footprint and provided dedicated, private line services to meet the growing demand from our local business communities. Our CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) status means we can now offer our customers true local dialtone services, as well as high speed data transfer, Internet access and other telecommunications services. TCG will be the competitive option for local business."

TCG's Colorado fiber optic network extends 220 miles from Denver's Meridian Office Park, to the Denver Tech Center, throughout Denver's central business district and north throughout Boulder to Gunbarrel Business Park.

The company has installed a multi-million dollar Class 5 digital switch onto its network, which will allow it to provide dialtone services to its customers, as well as to transfer customer calls between TCG's network, and the networks of other local telecommunications carriers. Also, TCG expects the Colorado PUC to issue an order Friday resolving the arbitration between TCG and US West over terms for interconnecting the two carriers' networks.

Today's authority from the Colorado PUC brings to 19 the number of states where TCG operates as a CLEC, including Arizona, California, Oregon, Utah and Washington. TCG also received CLEC authority for the District of Columbia.

TCG is the nation's oldest and largest provider of competitive local telecommunications services, with networks reaching into 57 major metropolitan markets nationwide. Recently, TCG announced plans to acquire Eastern TeleLogic Corporation (ETC) of Philadelphia, PA, a competitive local exchange carrier with service in Philadelphia and the neighboring cities of Camden, NJ, and Wilmington, DE.

TCG is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol TCGI.

CONTACT: Teleport Communications Group Inc.

Tracy Corrington, 510/949-0625