Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises Names Baumgartner Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Business Editors

DALLAS, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 2001

Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises, Inc. ("CTE") (Nasdaq: CTCO, CTCOB) today announced the appointment of Kristin Baumgartner as senior vice president of sales and marketing, effective immediately.

In this position, Ms. Baumgartner, 42, will be responsible for the oversight of all CTE sales and marketing, specifically the strategic direction, development and training for all business and residential unit sales in collaboration with the general managers of CTE's business units, including Commonwealth Telephone Company, CTSI, epix(R) Internet Services, Jack Flash(R) and Commonwealth Communications. Ms. Baumgartner will report to James DePolo, CTE's executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Ms. Baumgartner has over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications sales and marketing arena. Before joining CTE, Ms. Baumgartner held key management positions with various companies including Bell Atlantic (now Verizon Communications), Williams Communications Solutions and Cisco Systems, Inc. Over the course of her career, she has held the titles of regional vice president and general manager, vice president of marketing, and director of regulatory/public policy.

Ms. Baumgartner holds a B.S. in marketing from Louisiana State University.

About CTE

Headquartered in Dallas, PA, Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises, Inc., serves a growing base of business and residential customers with the full array of state-of-the-art data and voice telecommunications products and services, including broadband data services and high-speed Internet access, delivered over its 100% digitally-switched, fiber-rich network.

CTE's primary operating segments are: Commonwealth Telephone Company ("CT"), the nation's eighth largest publicly held independent incumbent local exchange carrier ("ILEC"), which has been operating in various rural Pennsylvania markets since 1897; and, CTSI, a local exchange carrier operating outside CT's territory that commenced operations in 1997. CTE's support businesses include epix(R) Internet Services (www.epix.net), one of the northeast's largest rural ISPs with over 49,000 dial-up Internet access subscribers; and, Jack Flash(R), a broadband data service that uses DSL technology to offer high-speed Internet access and digital connectivity solutions. Additionally, CTE operates two other support businesses that provide expertise to its CT and CTSI operations. These businesses are Commonwealth Communications, a provider of telecommunications equipment and facilities management services; and, CLD, a switch-based long-distance reseller.

A web site featuring current information regarding Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises, Inc. can be found on the Internet at www.ct-enterprises.com.