Madison River Communications

NCEITA HONORS MADISON RIVER COMMUNICATIONS AS THE 2001 COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Raleigh, November 16, 2001 - Madison River Communications was honored by the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technology Association (NCEITA) as the 2001 Communications Company of the Year at the NCEITA Awards Ceremony, held today at the North Raleigh Hilton. Nearly 400 IT leaders gathered to celebrate the winners of the NCEITA 21 Awards, which are the oldest and most prestigious statewide IT awards in North Carolina. These awards are given annually in 21 categories to the leading companies and individuals in North Carolina's technology industry.

"Madison River Communications is a true pioneer on the new frontier of technology innovation," said NCEITA president Joan Myers. "With strong growth and an outstanding product, we are proud to honor Madison River Communications with this award."

Founded in 1996, Madison River Communications is an established and rapidly growing Integrated Communications Provider, providing competitive telecommunications services to businesses throughout southeast and Midwest market areas.

"Madison River's performance continues to be strong," stated Steve Vanderwoude, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Madison River Communications, in response to questions about the state of the telecommunications industry in general, and specifically Madison River Communications. "However, in view of an overall slowing of the economy, we are moderating our growth plans for the coming year. For example, we anticipate capital expenditures next year of approximately $20 million, compared to about $60 million this year."

About NCEITA:
NCEITA is a not-for-profit membership-driven organization classified as a 501 (c) ^ trade association. NCEITA also has a 501 (c) 3 education foundation, which operates and manages its educational programming. NCEITA is the primary voice of the Information Technologies industry in North Carolina dedicated to promoting and strengthening the electronics, telecommunications, software, Internet and related service industries through increased public awareness, and to provide a forum to learn, educate, communicate, promote, network and implement actions. For more information, visit www.nceita.org.

About Madison River Communications:
Either directly or through its affiliates, Madison River is certified as a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier in North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The company is also certified as a Long Distance Provider in eleven states, and as an Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier in four states. As of September 30, 2001, Madison River served approximately 211,900 voice access lines and 10,000 high speed Internet lines, in addition to approximately 77,500 long distance accounts and 31, 800 Internet access customers. The company owns and operates a 2,750 miles of fiber optic network in locations that it serves. For more information, visit www.madisonriver.net.