CoolCast Selected by ZoomTown.com to Provide Its DSL Users With PC Television and Audio.

Business/High-Tech Writers

CINCINNATI/IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2000

- Multi-tasking for PC Users Made Informative and Entertaining

Without Sacrificing Productivity -

ZoomTown.com, the broadband Internet subsidiary of Broadwing Inc. (NYSE: BRW) and Starguide Digital Network's wholly-owned subsidiary, CoolCast, an Internet portal aggregating join-in-progress digital quality video and audio, today unveiled a strategic alliance designed to bring ZoomTown.com subscribers a Web portal featuring local and global entertainment and information. The service is expected to be available to ZoomTown.com subscribers later this month. ZoomTown.com's leadership in rapidly and broadly deploying Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service, has transformed Cincinnati into one of the highest penetrated, high-bandwidth communities in the United States.

Commenting on the alliance, Scott K. Ginsburg, Chairman of Starguide Digital, stated, "CoolCast opens up a new frontier for video and audio content providers and consumers alike. For the first time, a broadband service provider can rightfully claim that their network works in tandem with Coolcast's proprietary broadband satellite and multicasting technologies to provide an extremely rich streaming media entertainment experience. The result of this powerful combination is that PC desktop users are able to receive high quality audio and video without the buffering delays that are so common in today's Internet broadcasting world. Video and audio channels suddenly will be enabled 24/7, and the good news for consumers and media providers is that there will be a new platform from which to launch familiar, localized, diverse and sometimes differentiated Internet content that has not been available until now."

CoolCast's proprietary technology ensures that there is no limit to the number of viewers who can simultaneously access high quality audio, visual and interactive content on their PCs. CoolCast provides an efficient platform for broadcasting digital video and audio to Internet users by delivering its streaming media content directly to Internet Service Providers and subsequently to end users, bypassing the public Internet providing dedicated capacity for streaming media. This breakthrough architecture, first developed in 1996, has since undergone testing in ADSL labs at Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO).

Mr. Ginsburg continued, "CoolCast's proprietary technology running on ZoomTown's advanced DSL Cisco Powered Network creates a powerful multi-channel online experience. CoolCast is committed to developing next-generation Internet applications for PC users. A single CoolCast transmission can literally reach millions of users with the highest quality signal. With the advantages of scalability and premium content, CoolCast will transform the Internet into an entertainment medium for the masses."

"CoolCast is a strong compliment to the powerful enabling applications currently available over ZoomTown.com's advanced DSL infrastructure," said Mike O'Brien, president of ZoomTown.com. The ability to experience high quality streaming media while simultaneously multi-tasking on their PCs, provides our customers with the best of both worlds - the ability to stay informed and entertained without sacrificing productivity."

Mr. Ginsburg continued, "We're excited about our relationship with Broadwing and ZoomTown.com. Mike O'Brien and the ZoomTown.com team are writing a new chapter in the quest to converge broadcasting with the Internet."

"The alliance between ZoomTown.com and CoolCast is a great example of how new technologies and business models available today can be deployed with Cisco products to create additional value in service provider networks," said David Gudmundson, vice president and general manager of the DSL business unit at Cisco.

Through the co-branded CoolCast site, ZoomTown.com customers can access video broadcasts and digital audio while simultaneously operating other software applications such as spreadsheets or word processing programs, or while surfing the Net. The video can be viewed in full-screen or shrunk to a smaller picture while multitasking.

In addition to streaming media, ZoomTown.com customers visiting the CoolCast site will have access to developing e-commerce opportunities such as online shopping for featured products or services through direct links to advertiser Web pages. There is no additional cost to viewers for the service.

About CoolCast and StarGuide Digital Networks

Based in Irving, Texas, CoolCast (www.coolcast.com) is a video-enhanced Internet portal aggregating live, digital quality video and audio for PC users from branded media and entertainment providers. CoolCast's technology was created by StarGuide Digital Networks (www.starguidedigital.com), a leading developer of innovative next-generation delivery solutions for multimedia broadcasters, to provide consumers access to high quality audio and video programming. StarGuide Digital Networks' Chairman, Scott K. Ginsburg also serves as the Chairman of DG Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: DGIT).

About ZoomTown.com and Broadwing Inc.

ZoomTown.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of Broadwing Inc. Broadwing Inc. (NYSE: BRW) is an integrated communications powerhouse delivering voice, data and Internet solutions to a variety of customers nationwide. Broadwing combines unparalleled customer service with a premier next-generation fiber network and award winning IP backbone, to create data and internet solutions that are innovative, reliable, and provide businesses a competitive advantage. Broadwing sets the standard for customer accountability with its first-in-the-industry Installation Guarantee. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio with 5,500 employees in 38 cities, Broadwing can be found on the Web at broadwing.com.