openNET Coalition Doubles Membership in Five Weeks Since Court Rules Portland Could Require AT&T to Open Its Cable Network.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 14, 1999--

Juno and Gateway 2000 Join Dozens of Small ISPs Nationwide in Battling

for Competition in Cable Internet Access

The openNet Coalition, a group of technology companies fighting for competition in high-speed Internet cable access, announced today that it has doubled in size since a federal court ruled last month that local communities have the right to require competition in cable broadband Internet access.

Gateway 2000, Juno Online Services, Inc. are among the 84 companies that have joined the openNET coalition in the last four weeks, raising the number of member companies and associations to nearly 166 nationwide.

"Technology companies across the country, including dozens of small businesses, are beginning to understand that an AT&T monopoly in high speed cable Internet access threatens the survival of their businesses," said Greg Simon, co-director of the openNET Coalition. "These businesses know and history has shown that monopolies are bad for small business, bad for consumers, and bad for local economies."

The fight for a fair, competitive, open cable network was invigorated June 4th when US District Judge Owen Panner ruled that cities have the power to open their cable networks in the public interest. The City of Portland/County of Multnomah, Oregon, was the first local community to stand up to AT&T and demand that it allow competing Internet service providers access to the cable system. AT&T, as part of its efforts to create a cable monopoly and assemble a broadband network has purchased Tele-Communications Inc. and MediaOne and must go to local officials to transfer the cable franchise.

Since the Portland decision, many other cities have begun to examine whether to require AT&T to play fair as part of receiving a city franchise to operate the cable system.

On Tuesday, Broward County, Florida, voted to require competition. Other cities facing decisions as they transfer cable franchises to AT&T within the next few weeks include Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

"All members of openNET, large and small, new and old, no matter where they are located, are urging local officials to do what is best for consumers and small businesses and require AT&T to open its system. Every other technology, telephone, satellite, wireless, is required by law to allow competition, so it is only logical to ask: why should cable be treated any differently?" said Rich Bond, co-director of the Coalition.

New members of the coalition represent businesses in 27 states, including: California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Kansas, Ohio, South Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, New Jersey, Utah, Colorado, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and North and South Carolina.

The new members include: Access Wonderful World.com; ACD.net Internet Services; AcroNet Professional Internet Services, Inc.; Applied InterNet Solutions, Inc.; Arden Computers, Inc.; Area 51 Consulting, Inc.; ASB Internet, Inc.; Atlas Communications; Binary Net, Inc.; Brandywine Net; BriteSite.Net, Inc.; Business Research; Cape.Com, Inc.; Central Web Internet Services Co.; Chapel Services, Inc.; Christian Living Network; The Computer Age Co.; Computer Solutions, Inc.; CompuType Computers; Connect Internet Services, Inc.; Coolware, Inc.; CrossPaths Internet Services; Crossroads Communications; CSI Internet Access; Culver Communications, Inc.; CyberLink, Inc.; Cybernex, Inc.; Cyber Solutions; Cyberverse, Inc.; Database City, Inc.; Dialaccess-ISP, Inc.; Dynamic Consulting, Inc.; Eagle Net; The Eclectic Network, LTD.; Emerald Internet Services; Extreme Internet; Gateway 2000, GlobalEyes Telecommunications, Inc.; High Tech Holdings, Inc.; IG NET, Inc.; IJNT.net, Inc.; Integrity Online; InterMountain Internet; Internet Information Service, Inc.; Internet One Stop; Internet Wisconsin; InterSurf Online, Inc.; Izzy Dot Net; JDV Enterprises, Inc.; Juno Online Services, Inc., KeyCreations, Inc.; Kramer Ceilly & Associates; La Plaza Telecommunity Foundation, Inc.; Marlowe & Associates; Mid-Kan Internet, Inc.; Mountain Works, Inc., MyWeb.Net; Net Internet Services; Netlink Communications, Inc.; NetTrip Computers; Noguska, Inc.; Osprey Network Technologies; PortONE Internet, Inc.; Pro Pages Internet Services; Rahab Computer Technologies; SaveWare, Inc.; Say.Net/Dimensional Marketing, Inc.; Skantech, Inc.; Southern Star; StarQuest Internet Services; Streamedia Communications, Inc., Syracuse WorldNet Service, Inc.; TDI Internet Services, Inc. TexRamp, Inc.; The Stix; The Tuskar Company/Global Vision.Net, Inc.; Twin Cities Internet; Uplink, Inc.; WebConnects, Inc.; Webwizzards Internet Services; World Information Network, Inc./Internetworld Information Network; and Xaranda Internet, Inc.

Among the early members of openNET are the charter members: America Online, Cable & Wireless USA, Inc., GTE, MCI WorldCom, Mindspring Enterprises, Inc., Prodigy Communications Corporation and US WEST. Other member companies and associations include: Altaire Enterprises, Inc., Amberwave Internet LLC, American Digital Online Services, Inc., AugLink Communications, Inc., Basic Communication, Inc., Bertelsmann AG, Bluegrass.net, BNS Inc., Caribbean Internet Services Corp., Carolina Online Networks, Inc., Cerbernet Limited, Citicom Communication Services, Collective Intelligence, Inc., Crocker Communications, CyberBold, Inc., CyberNet Nationwide (CNNW.Net), CyberRamp Internet Services, CyberZone Internet Services, DigiLink Internet Services, Digital Highway Communications, Inc., Digital Starlight Communications, Inc., dotSTAR Communications L.C., Elastic Networks, Eldersearch.com, Electroetch Enterprises LLC, Enterprise Unified Solutions, Inc., EZ Online, Inc., FlashNet Communications, Fiberhood Networks, Inc., Florida Internet Service Providers Association, Gibralter Data Services, Grapevine Internet Service, Grapevine2, InLink Business Services, Innova Communications, LLC, Internet America, Information Gateway Services, Information Systems Technology, Inc., JET Business Net, Kentucky ISP Association, Lahman Internet Sevices, LLC, LavaNet Internet Services, LLC, Lightning Internet Services, LLC, LTI, MacConnect, Maui Net Inc., Maxcess, Inc., MyLink, NEOCOM Microspecialists, Inc., Net Nevada, NetQuick, LLC, Netscape Communications Corporation, Olympia Networking Services, Oregon Internet Service Provider Association, oz.net Internet Services, Pacific Global Communications, LLC, Public Electronic Access to Knowledge Inc. (PEAK), Rocky Mountain Internet, Quik Internet NWA, Quik Internet of Portland, Quik Internet of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, Quik Internet of Wisconsin, Relevant Arts Enterprises, Inc., SeglerNet, Sybercom, Inc., TAMB Associates , Inc., TBC Group, Teleport Internet Services, Texas.net, Texas Internet Services Providers Association, Trusted Net, Inc., Verio Inc., Washington Internet Service Providers Association, WebShoppe, LLC, Websnap Internet Corp., and World Wide Internet Services, Inc.

To learn more about what you can do to keep the Internet a dynamic, competitive medium, please visit the openNET web site at: http://www.opennetcoalition.org/.