Citizens Communications Completes Purchase of Nebraska Telephone Properties.

Business Editors

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 30, 2000

Citizens Communications (NYSE:CZN) announced today that it has completed the purchase of 61,000 telephone access lines in Nebraska from GTE Corporation (NYSE:GTE).

In 1999, Citizens agreed to purchase nearly one million telephone access lines from GTE and USWEST Inc. (NYSE:USW) in transactions valued at $2.8 billion. The Nebraska transaction is the first of these purchases to close. The remainder will close over the next twelve months.

Citizens Communications provides telecommunications services to more than 1 million customers in 14 states. Citizens also owns 82% of Electric Lightwave, Inc. (NASDAQ:ELIX), a facilities-based, integrated communications provider that offers a broad range of services to telecommunications-intensive businesses throughout the United States. More information about Citizens can be found at www.czn.net.

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