LANSING, July 11.  The Michigan Public Service Commission today
granted MediaGate Communications, Inc., Quick Communications, Inc., New
Access Communications LLC, Access One, Inc., and Emergent
Communications, LLC each a license to provide basic local telephone service
in Michigan.   These companies join more than 170 companies that have been
granted a license to provide basic local telephone service in Michigan.

     The Commission approved the licenses because it determined that the
companies possess  sufficient technical, financial and managerial resources and
abilities to provide basic local telephone service to all residential and
commercial customers within the geographic area of their licenses and intend
to provide service within one year from today's order.  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 will expand.  The Commission conditioned the licenses on
compliance with the Commission's anti-slamming procedures, the number
portability provisions of the Michigan Telecommunications Act and the
Commission's number reclamation process, 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.

     MediaGate  received a license to provide basic local telephone service
for all telephone exchanges currently served by Verizon North, Inc., Contel of
the South, Inc., d/b/a Verizon North Systems, CenturyTel of Michigan,
Incorporated, CenturyTel of Northern Michigan, Incorporated, CenturyTel of
Midwest-Michigan, Incorporated, and CenturyTel of Upper Michigan,
Incorporated.   Telephone exchanges are geographic boundaries that define
customer's local calling area.   MediaGate applied for a license on March 16,
2001.

     Quick was granted a license to provide basic local telephone service for
the telephone exchanges currently served by Ameritech Michigan in
Michigan's lower peninsula.   Quick applied for a license on March 21,  2001.

     New Access received a license to provide basic local telephone service
for all telephone exchanges currently served by Ameritech Michigan and
Verizon North Inc.  New Access applied for a license on March 30, 2001.

     Access One and Emergent were each granted a license to provide basic
local telephone service for all telephone exchanges currently served by
Ameritech Michigan, Verizon North Inc., and Contel of the South, Inc., d/b/a
Verizon North Systems.  Access One and Emergent applied for a license on
April 10, 2001 and April 19, 2001, respectively.

     These companies 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, reflecting the services they will offer and identifying the
telephone exchanges in which they will offer service.  Interconnection
arrangements allow the companies' customers to place calls to, and receive
them from, customers of other local telephone service providers.

      MediaGate, Quick, New Access, Access One, and Emergent  are
headquartered in Crystal, Michigan, Clarkston, Michigan, Minneapolis,
Minnesota, Chicago, Illinois and Minneapolis, Minnesota, respectively.

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


Cases Nos. U-12870, U-12871, U-12888, U-12905, and U-12924
(MPSC approves licenses for five competitive local telephone service
providers)
July 11, 2001