EXHIBIT 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
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McLeodUSA Incorporated
McLeodUSA Technology Park
6400 C Street SW PO Box 3177
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-3177
Press and Investor Contact: Bryce E. Nemitz
Phone: 319-790-7800  Fax: 319-298-7767
bnemitz@mcleodusa.com
Web Site:  www.mcleodusa.com
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                       McLeodUSA Elects Anne K. Bingaman
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- July 15, 1999 -- McLeodUSA Incorporated (NASDAQ/NMS:MCLD),
a leading Integrated Communications Provider (ICP) in Midwest and Rocky Mountain
states, announced today the election of Anne K. Bingaman to its Board of
Directors for a term expiring in 2001.

     Anne K. Bingaman, 56, is currently an independent consultant in Washington,
D.C., where she focuses on antitrust issues related to the telecommunications
industry.

     Ms. Bingaman served as Senior Corporate Vice-President and founding
President of the Local Services Division of LCI International Telecom, Inc. in
McLean, Virginia from January 1997 until LCI was acquired by Qwest in July 1998.
At LCI, Ms. Bingaman completed the roll-out of local telecommunications services
to LCI business customers in 28 major U.S. markets in 8 months, serving
thousands of new business customers with bundled local and long distance
service. As President of the Local Services Division at LCI, Ms. Bingaman was
responsible for Marketing, Network Planning, Customer Fulfillment/Local
Operations and Business Analysis. As LCI's Senior Vice President responsible for
Regulatory Affairs, Ms. Bingaman filed numerous petitions with the FCC, and
testified before the Senate Commerce Committee as well as various state Public
Utility Commissions to promote local service competition under the
Telecommunications Act of 1996.

     Before assuming her position at LCI International, Ms. Bingaman was
nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to the post of Assistant
Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of
Justice where she served from June 1993 to October 1996. In this role, Ms.
Bingaman focused on telecommunications, international antitrust and intellectual
property. Prior to her appointment as Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Bingaman
was a partner at a number of law firms, as well as an Associate Professor of
Law. Her B.A. and LL.B. degrees are from Stanford. "It is our pleasure to
welcome Anne to our Board," stated Clark McLeod, Chairman and CEO of McLeodUSA.
"Her rich experience in telecommunications, her valiant efforts to create a
regulatory environment conducive to competition, and her spirit and drive will
be welcome additions to our Board." Ms. Bingaman joins recently elected Board
members Roy A. Wilkins and Peter H.O. Claudy on the McLeodUSA Board. Other Board
members include Thomas M. Collins, Robert J. Currey, Lee Liu, Paul D. Rhines,
and the following McLeodUSA executives: Clark E. McLeod, Richard A. Lumpkin,
Stephen C. Gray, and Blake O. Fisher, Jr.

     McLeodUSA is a provider of integrated communications services to business
and residential customers in Midwest and Rocky Mountain states; additional
expansion states will be added. McLeodUSA is a facilities-oriented
communications provider with 15 switches, 7,654 route miles of fiber optics


network, 495,000 local lines, and 6,100 employees. In the next 12 months, our
publishing subsidiaries plan to distribute nearly 21 million copies of
competitive directories in 22 states, expected to reach nearly 36 million
people.

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