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For Immediate Release

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Starpower Communications Launches Gaithersburg, Md., Service

For Immediate Release
July 26,  1999

Washington Based Company Offers Competitive Bundle Of Advanced Cable and Telecommunication Services To Area Residents

Washington, D.C., July 26, 1999 - Starpower Communications announced today it has completed initial construction to provide cable TV and advanced telecommunication services to residents of Gaithersburg, Md. More than 3,500 residents will now have access to the company's state-of-the-art fiber optic network that also offers local and long distance telephone and high-speed Internet services. When completed early next year, the Starpower network will reach more than 11,000 Gaithersburg households, located in northern Montgomery County.

Under the terms of a 10-year agreement signed with the City of Gaithersburg on Sept. 23, 1998, Starpower is the first facilities-based competitive cable television provider in Gaithersburg.

"This agreement could not have been possible without the visionary support of local officials," said John McCallum, Starpower Co-Chairman and Pepco Communications President. "The city of Gaithersburg has been committed to delivering the most advanced communications services to its residents and was instrumental in expediting the construction process that included advanced fiber bandwidth to serve many public buildings, including the city hall, police and public works departments."

"Starpower offers more advanced technology, better service and a better value for consumers," said Starpower`s General Manager Anthony Peduto. "Starpower offers subscribers a 94-channel basic cable television lineup, which is 50 percent more than the incumbent cable provider at less cost and includes the Independent Film Channel, Telemundo and BET On Jazz." He added that Starpower`s optional premium service brings its lineup to more than 140 channels, including 16 premium, 18 digital and 12 pay-per-view. Unlimited, super high-speed Internet services are also available. Multi-service discounts are offered when two or more services are purchased as part of a bundled package.

Starpower currently serves residents in the District of Columbia under the terms of a similar agreement, also signed in 1998. Negotiations are underway in Prince George's and Montgomery counties in Maryland, and in several Virginia jurisdictions, including Falls Church, Fairfax and Arlington counties to bring Starpower to additional parts of the Washington Metropolitan Area.

About the Company

Starpower is a joint venture of Pepco Communications, LLC, a non-regulated subsidiary of Potomac Electric Power Company (NYSE: POM) and RCN Corporation. Princeton, N.J.- based RCN is the nation's first and largest facilities-based provider of communications services to the residential market. Starpower has more than 250,000 subscribers.

About the Network

Starpower's network is a unique broadband fiber optic platform capable of offering the full suite of communications services - including fully featured voice, video and high-speed Internet - to residential customers. The network employs SONET ring backbone architecture and localized nodes built to ensure its fiber optics travel to within 900 feet of Starpower customers, with fewer electronics and lower maintenance costs than existing local networks.

Additional information about Starpower may be found on the company's web site at www.Starpower.net or by calling toll-free to
 1-877-STARPOWER.

Point of Contact:
Robert Dobkin

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