[McLeodUSA Logo Appears Here]                           [MCLD Logo Appears Here]

                                                                    Exhibit 99.2
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McLeodUSA Incorporated
McLeodUSA Technology Park
6400 C Street SW, PO Box 3177
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-3177
Media Contact:  Bruce Tiemann
Phone: (319) 790-7800
FAX:   (319) 790-7767
E-mail:  mcleodusa_ir@mcleodusa.com


For Immediate Release

 McLeodUSA Announces Pricing of Tender Offer for Splitrock 11.75% Senior Notes

Cedar Rapids, Iowa -May 31, 2000 -- McLeodUSA Incorporated (Nasdaq: MCLD), one
of the nation's top telecommunications providers, today announced that it has
commenced a tender offer to purchase for cash any and all of the outstanding
11.75% senior notes of Splitrock Services, Inc., due 2008 at a price of
$1,156.80 per $1,000 principal amount of the Splitrock notes tendered, plus the
amount of accrued and unpaid interest to (but excluding) the settlement date.
The offer expires at 5 p.m. Eastern on June 28, 2000, unless extended by
McLeodUSA.

Prior to the initiation of the offer, McLeodUSA received the irrevocable consent
of the holder of the majority in aggregate principal amount of the Splitrock
notes to certain amendments which, upon completion of the offer and execution of
the appropriate documents, will eliminate most of the restrictive covenants and
certain other provisions of the indenture pursuant to which the notes were
issued.  Salomon Smith Barney is acting as dealer-manager in connection with the
offer.

McLeodUSA, one of the nation's top telecommunications companies, provides
selected telecommunications services to customers nationwide.  Integrated
communications including local services are currently available in several
Midwest and Rocky Mountain states; long distance and advanced data services are
available in all 50 states.  McLeodUSA is a facilities-based telecommunications
provider with 354 ATM switches, 31 voice switches, more than 750,000 local
lines, and more than 8,800 employees. The Company recently expanded its
marketplace for advanced data and Internet services to all 50 states through the
acquisition of Splitrock Services, Inc.  The Splitrock network is capable of
transmitting integrated next-generation data, video and voice services.  The
network reaches 800 cities and 90 percent of the U.S. population.  In the next
12 months, the Company's publishing subsidiaries plan to distribute 26 million
white and yellow page directories in 23 states, expected to reach 46 million
people.  McLeodUSA Incorporated is a Nasdaq-100 company traded as MCLD.  The
Company's web site is available at www.mcleodusa.com.
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McLeodUSA Announces Pricing of Tender Offer
Page 2


     Some of the statements contained in this press release discuss future
expectations, contain projections of results of operations or financial
condition or state other forward-looking information.  Those statements are
subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could
cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the
statements.  The "forward-looking" information is based on various factors and
was derived using numerous assumptions.  In some cases, you can identify these
so-called forward-looking statements by words like "may," "will," "should,"
"expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts,"
"projects," "potential," or "continue" or the negative of those words and other
comparable words.  You should be aware that those statements only reflect the
predictions of McLeodUSA.  Actual events or results may differ substantially.
Important factors that could cause actual results of McLeodUSA to be materially
different from the forward-looking statements include availability of financing
and regulatory approvals, the number of potential customers in a target market,
the existence of strategic alliances or relationships, technological, regulatory
or other developments in the industry, changes in the competitive climate in
which McLeodUSA operates and the emergence of future opportunities.  These and
other applicable risks are summarized under the caption "Risk Factors" in the
McLeodUSA Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
1999, which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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