[GRAPHIC OMITTED]                                              [GRAPHIC OMITTED]

- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             Contact:  Paul H. Riss
                                            CEO
                                            phriss@elec-corp.com
                                            914-633-6500


                eLEC Announces Extension of Forbearance Agreement

New Rochelle,  NY... May 13, 2002--eLEC  Communications Corp.  (OTCBB:ELEC),  an
integrated  communications  provider  of  voice,  data and  broadband  services,
announced  that its lender has agreed to a two week  extension to a  forbearance
agreement which requires eLEC to sell the assets of one or more of its operating
subsidiaries.  The  original  forbearance  agreement  required  eLEC  to  sign a
definitive  purchase  agreement by May 11, 2002.  That date has been extended to
May 24, 2002. The Company  continues to pursue  opportunities to sell assets and
pay off its  secured  lender.  In  conjunction  with a sale,  eLEC also plans to
provide  operations  support system (OSS)  services to the buyer.  eLEC's OSS is
designed to provide a local  telephone  service  carrier  with a  cost-effective
automated  platform  to support  customer  orders,  service  delivery,  billing,
collections, and gross margin analysis.

eLEC  Communications  Corp.  is  a  publicly-traded   integrated  communications
provider that is taking  advantage of the  convergence of the current and future
competitive  technological  and  regulatory  developments  in the  Internet  and
telecommunications  markets. eLEC provides an integrated suite of communications
services to small business and residential customers.

                                   ----------

This  release  contains  forward-looking   statements  that  involve  risks  and
uncertainties.  eLEC's  actual  results may differ  materially  from the results
discussed  in the  forward-looking  statements.  Factors that might cause such a
difference  include,  among others,  availability  of management;  availability,
terms,  and  deployment of capital;  eLEC's ability to  successfully  market its
services to current and new customers,  generate customer demand for its product
and services in the  geographical  areas in which eLEC can  operate,  access new
markets,  negotiate and maintain  suitable  interconnection  agreements with the
incumbent local exchange  carriers,  and negotiate and maintain  suitable vendor
relationships,  all in a timely manner,  at reasonable  cost and on satisfactory
terms  and  conditions,   as  well  as  regulatory,   legislative  and  judicial
developments  that could cause  actual  results to vary in such  forward-looking
statements.