Dedham, Mass. – December 16, 2004 – RNK Telecom, a privately-held telecommunications carrier that provides wholesale services for broadband providers, carriers and retail distributors, today announced it has extended its partnership with the USO of New England to donate free calling services for friends and families of active duty military members. With the "Connect for Freedom" plan, friends and families in Massachusetts and Rhode Island can make unlimited calls to anywhere in the U.S. and 60 other countries.

"As deployment of new troops continues, we rely heavily on local companies like RNK Telecom to donate services in support of the families our service people have had to leave behind," said Alice Harkins, executive director, USO of New England. "Connect for Freedom is a wonderful program, especially for children at this time of year. Even if a parent is unreachable due to a special assignment or other unique circumstance, children can use this plan to call grandparents, aunts and uncles – whoever they need to talk with for emotional support during the holidays."

New this year, information on Connect for Freedom will be included in the USO of New England’s "Operation Little Elf Uplift" program that provides gifts and services to families in need during the holiday season. USO of New England gives special presents to the children and a holiday envelope to their family which includes a grocery card (denomination contingent upon the number of dependents in the household) and gift cards for home improvement stores or gas stations. Approximately 500 of these families in Massachusetts and Rhode Island will also receive information on Connect for Freedom in their holiday envelopes.

"We launched this program with the USO of New England in March 2003. Since then, we’ve logged more than three million minutes of domestic and international phone calls, averaging approximately 18,000 calls a month," said Richard Koch, president and CEO, RNK Telecom. "We are proud to be a valued partner of the USO, and will continue to support these families as long as there is a need."

Eligible residents of Massachusetts or Rhode Island can participate in the Connect for Freedom plan by dialing an International Calling Hub (normal or toll charges may apply), and following the instructions for placing the free call. Calling is available 24 hours a day. For more information, visit http://www.usonewengland.org/.

The USO of New England’s mission is to provide services to all members of the Armed Forces and their families who are stationed throughout Greater New England. Heightened activities have placed extensive demands on the USO of New England’s financial and human resources. The USO of New England relies heavily on the generosity of benefactors throughout New England, such as individuals, corporations and foundations. In addition, support is garnered from multiple grassroots fundraising initiatives from several local, civic, educational and veteran organizations.

The USO of New England is a non-governmental, nonprofit organization with locations in Boston and Logan International Airport. For further information regarding how to support the USO of New England, please call (617) 720-4949, or visit our website at http://www.usonewengland.org.

Founded in 1997, privately-held RNK Telecom is a facilities-based, tariffed telephone company that offers a wide range of wholesale products and services from Voice over IP (VoIP) and local and long distance services, to prepaid calling cards. Through its operational efficiency, industry expertise, technical innovation and focus on customer service and satisfaction, RNK Telecom delivers superior services and profit margins to wholesale customers, including broadband providers, carriers and retail distributors, as well as cost savings to end-users. Based in Dedham, Mass., RNK Telecom is one of the most successful Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) in the United States. For more information, visit www.rnktel.com.

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