Dave Baker to Join MindSpring Staff; Georgia PSC Commissioner Steps Down to Become VP of Legal and Regulatory Affairs.

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 1998--MindSpring Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:MSPG) today announced that Georgia Public Service Commissioner Dave Baker would resign his post to join MindSpring as vice president for legal and regulatory affairs on December 2, 1998. Baker's responsibilities will include leading MindSpring's efforts to expand into new competitive markets and provide consumers with alternatives in high-speed access to the Internet.

"I am excited to be joining MindSpring. We share a common vision for the competitive future of telecommunications in the United States and of the challenging steps that private enterprise must undertake to make it happen," said Baker. "I am also looking forward to working within MindSpring's unique corporate culture."

The 1996 chairman of Georgia's PSC, Dave Baker is a leading advocate of telecommunications competition. In 1995, Baker was appointed by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners to serve on its Communications Committee. He was recently chosen as one of four state commissioners nationwide to serve on the Federal-State Universal Service Joint Board. In this capacity, he worked directly with the members of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help ensure that telephone rates, particularly in rural areas, remain reasonable during the transition to telephone service competition.

Georgia Trend magazine named Baker as one of "75 Georgians Who Were Leaders in their Fields" for 1996. He is also a member of the Georgia Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology (GCATT) and serves on advisory boards for Atlanta Public Broadcasting and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Dave earned his J.D. from Washington & Lee University in 1987 and his B.A. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University in 1984. He and his wife Laurie live in Atlanta.

"We are thrilled to have Dave Baker joining us at MindSpring," said Charles Brewer, MindSpring's chairman and chief executive officer. "Not only is Dave a great fit for our corporate culture, but he has the skills, contacts and experience that will be important as we become more active in voicing our opinion in the regulatory processes of the FCC."

Brewer added that MindSpring has recently entered the arena of public affairs by addressing the FCC on the importance of competitive access to telecommunications services by consumers through "the last mile of local loop," which is currently controlled by telephone and cable television monopolies.

About MindSpring

MindSpring is a leading Internet service provider focused on delivering outstanding service and support to its customers. By following its core values and beliefs, MindSpring is committed to doing an exceptional job of serving its customers, its employees, its owners and its community. MindSpring's dial-up subscribers can browse the World Wide Web, send electronic mail, participate in informative online chats and access over 20,000 newsgroups. MindSpring offers local Internet service in more than 375 locations throughout the United States. MindSpring is also a leading provider of Web Hosting services and domain registrations.

PC World presented MindSpring with its "World Class Award for Best ISP" in July 1998. In November 1997, MindSpring earned CNET: The Computer Network's "Buy It" recommendation as the national ISP providing the best value. Smart Money magazine called MindSpring "The Better Option" to AOL in February 1998, followed by a "Best Buy" recommendation from Smart Money Interactive in June 1998. MindSpring was given Home Office Computing's "Best Buy" for Web Hosting in its April 1998 issue. FamilyPC, in its July 1998 issue, named MindSpring's home page the "Best ISP Start Page." Upside Magazine said MindSpring "understands the value of service, community and brand in the cold world of the Net," in its February 1998 analysis of the top 150 technology companies in the United States.