LANSING, May 3.  The Michigan Public Service Commission today
granted Midwestern Telecommunications, Incorporated and 2nd Century
Communications, Inc.  licenses to provide basic local telephone service in
Michigan.   Midwestern and 2nd Century join more than 100 companies that have
been granted a license to provide basic local telephone service in Michigan. 
 
     The Commission approved the licenses because it determined that
Midwestern and 2nd Century possess sufficient technical, financial and
managerial resources and abilities to provide basic local telephone service within
the geographic area of the license.  The Commission concluded that competition
for telephone service can be advantageous to Michigan residents and, by granting
these requests for a license, opportunities for competition may expand.  The
Commission  conditioned the licenses on compliance with the Commission's
anti-slamming procedures, and failure to comply may result in revocation of the
license or other penalties.  The Commission also conditioned the licenses upon
the companies providing service to customers within a reasonable time,
indicating that failure to do so may result in revocation of the license.

     Midwestern was granted a license to provide basic local telephone service
for all telephone exchanges and zones currently served by Ameritech Michigan,
GTE North Incorporated, and GTE Systems of Michigan.  Telephone exchanges
and zones are geographic boundaries that define customer's local calling area. 
Midwestern applied for a license on February 10, 2000.

     2nd Century received a license to provide basic local telephone service for
all telephone exchanges currently served by Ameritech Michigan and GTE North
Inc.  2nd Century applied for a license on February 18, 2000.

     Midwestern and 2nd Century will be able to begin to provide basic local
telephone service once they have finalized interconnection arrangements with
other telephone service providers and have filed approved tariffs with the
Commission.  Interconnection arrangements allow their customers to place calls
to, and receive them from, customers of other local telephone service providers.

     Midwestern and 2nd Century are headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and
Tampa, Florida, respectively.

     The MPSC is an agency within the Department of Consumer and Industry
Services.

Case No.  U-12322, U-12326
May 3, 2000
(Midwestern and 2nd Century are granted  licenses to provide basic local
telephone service)