Madison River Communications

 Print this page  

Rural Local Exchange Carriers (RLECS)

Madison River Communications was founded to acquire, integrate and improve the operations of rural telephone providers. Since 1998, we have acquired five and have improved operations and increased the Adjusted Operating Income margins of each one.

Our companies are leading providers of key communication services to homes and businesses in the communities we serve. Madison River companies provide

• local telephone service,
• national and international long distance,
• call management services including voice mail, caller ID and call waiting,
• high-speed Broadband (available to approximately 99% of our access lines) and dial-up Internet services, including e-mail,
• DIRECTV® satellite TV service,
• telephone directory services,
• complex business systems such as Centrex,
• enhanced data circuits, and other telecommunications services.

We offer our services in appealing packages (also called bundles) that allow customers to choose all the communications services they want for one price, on one bill, from one local Madison River company they know and trust.

Our most popular package, called NO LIMITS Broadband, bundles unlimited local calling, unlimited nationwide long distance, unlimited use of our most in-demand call management features, and unlimited high-speed Broadband Internet. The NO LIMITS price even includes all fees and surcharges associated with the unlimited services, so customers get a bill that has no surprises. The popular package, purchased by more than 32% of the homes we serve*, has driven our Broadband and long distance penetration to industry-leading levels. It has also substantially increased the average revenue per converted subscriber and reduced churn.

We offer superior services, unsurpassed customer care and popular bundle offerings. Our companies enjoy limited competition in our rural markets and a favorable regulatory environment. The combination adds up to a growing number of connections and customers.

• Serves Hinesville, Fort Stewart, and Richmond Hill, Georgia, southwest of Savannah
• Acquired in March 2000
• 52,902 total connections**

• Serves Galesburg, Pekin, Dixon and surrounding communities in Illinois
• Acquired in November 1998
• 79,351 total connections**

• Serves Foley and Gulf Shores, Alabama, near Mobile
• Acquired in September 1999
• 77,913 total connections**

• Serves Mebane, located between Greensboro and Raleigh, North Carolina
• Acquired in January 1998
• 19,080 total connections**

Edge Out Services

We also offer services in towns and cities near our four rural telephone companies through our competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) operations. Because we use our network to "edge-out" to these nearby territories, we call these operations our Edge-Out Services (EOS).

We manage our EOS operations as a line of business within our RLEC companies. The EOS, with regional sales and service offices in North Carolina, Illinois and Georgia had 9,429 total connections at the close of the second quarter of 2006.

Our EOS operations are well positioned to sell local, long distance and high-speed data connections to medium-sized and large businesses due to our state-of-the-art Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network and approximately 2,400 route miles of fiber network, primarily from Dallas to Atlanta.

* As of June 30, 2006

** Based on a combination of voice and Broadband connections reported as of June 30, 2006