BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 19, 2005 – The following statement can be attributed to James Q. Crowe, chief executive officer of Level 3 Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:LVLT):
“Earlier today, the Federal Communications Commission issued an important ruling on the public safety obligations of Voice-over-IP service providers. Specifically, the FCC directed that VoIP providers interconnected to the public switched telephone network deliver E-911 service to their subscribers within 120 days of the order’s publication.
“Level 3 welcomes and applauds the Commission’s ruling and looks forward to the release of the full text of the implementing order. We see it as evidence of the increasing role that VoIP is playing in mainstream communications and in the daily lives of Americans. We have long held that widespread adoption of VoIP as a primary service will not occur until consumers trust that it can replicate the emergency-calling capabilities of the standard telephone land line.
“For those reasons, Level 3 has invested substantial time, energy and capital to build E-911 functionality into our VoIP network platform over the past several years. Today, we can deliver E-911-enabled VoIP services to areas encompassing more than 66 percent of households nationwide, and we are the underlying supplier of E-911 service to a wide range of cable companies, ISPs, carriers and other VoIP providers.
“We look forward to working with our existing and prospective customers over the next few months, and beyond, to help them comply with the FCC’s requirements in this area. Voice over IP remains one of the most important and promising technologies in the industry today, and we believe the Commission’s order will help ensure that VoIP lives up to its full potential.”
About Level 3 Communications
Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVLT), an international communications company, operates one of the largest Internet backbones in the world, connecting 180 markets in 18 countries. The company serves a broad range of wholesale, enterprise and content customers with a comprehensive suite of services including: Internet Protocol (IP) services, broadband transport and infrastructure services, colocation services, voice and voice over IP services, content delivery and media distribution services. These services provide the building blocks to enable Level 3’s customers to meet their growing demands for advanced communications solutions. The company’s Web address is www.Level3.com.
"Level 3 Communications,” "Level 3," the red 3D brackets and the Level 3 Communications logo are registered service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. Level 3 services are provided by wholly owned subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc. Any other service, product or company names recited herein may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statement
Some of the statements that we make in this press release are forward looking in nature. These statements are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. These forward looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside our control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. The most important factors that could prevent us from achieving our stated goals include, but are not limited to our ability to: successfully integrate acquisitions; increase the volume of traffic on our network; defend our intellectual property and proprietary rights; develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; and meet all of the terms and conditions of our debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
