ALTS Names Alan Stiffler as Vice President of Association Affairs; Nation's Leading Competitive Local Telecom Association Also Announces Key Promotions.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 2000

The Association for Local Telecommunications Services (ALTS), the leading national organization representing facilities-based local telecommunications competitors, today announced the appointment of Alan Stiffler as its new Vice President of Association Affairs.

Stiffler, a veteran telecommunications executive with 12 years of industry experience, will be responsible for interacting with the telecom industry, enhancing ALTS' membership and managing ALTS' roster of trade shows, conferences and educational seminars.

ALTS also announced the promotion of Jonathan Askin from the position of Vice President of Law to that of General Counsel, and of Kim Kirby from the position of Director of State Regulatory Affairs to that of Vice President of State Affairs. As General Counsel, Jonathan Askin will be responsible for all of ALTS' legal affairs, while as Vice President of State Affairs, Kim Kirby will be responsible for all state regulatory issues.

&uot;Alan Stiffler is a very experienced telecommunications professional with invaluable insights on the industry,&uot; said John D. Windhausen, Jr., ALTS' President. &uot;With his extensive marketing and management experience, he is expected to enhance the array of services and benefits ALTS provides to its members, and to increase the roles of ALTS network and vendor constituents.&uot;

Before joining ALTS, Stiffler was the Vice President, Americas Region, Global Card Services for Cable &Wireless, where he was responsible for travel and prepaid card business. During his eight years in the company, he also served as Director and General Manager for Local Calling Services, and Senior Manager/Director, Carrier Programs.

From 1988 to 1992, he worked for NTS Telesphere as Manager, Carrier Support, and as Branch Manager, Customer Service. He has also served as Manager, Marketing and Customer Service for Developing Systems Limited (1986 to 1988), Economic Analyst for International Trade Administration (from 1985 to 1986), and Securities Examiner at the Department of the Treasury (from 1984 to 1985).

Stiffler holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.

&uot;The promotions of Jonathan Askin and Kim Kirby are well deserved,&uot; Windhausen said. &uot;They have played an outstanding role in convincing federal and state policy-makers to open the local exchange market to competition. Their intimate working knowledge of the competitive industry and strong advocacy has been instrumental in providing competitive opportunities for our members. I am extremely proud to have such a very powerful team.&uot;

ALTS is the leading national industry association whose mission is to promote facilities-based local telecommunications competition. Created in 1987, ALTS has offices in Washington, D.C. and Irvine, California and now represents almost 200 companies that build, own, and operate competitive local networks.

For more information on ALTS, contact Crawford Public Relations at 703/318-5461 or visit the ALTS Web site at www.alts.org.