EXHIBIT 99.1


                 KMC TELECOM NAMES WILLIAM F. LENAHAN AS CEO

         BELLSOUTH WIRELESS DATA PRESIDENT JOINS KMC MANAGEMENT TEAM,
                          ADDING DATA MARKET EXPERTISE

                  BEDMINSTER,  NJ, MAY 1, 2000 - KMC Telecom  Holdings,  Inc., a
growing  provider  of  competitive  local  telecommunications   services,  today
announced  the  appointment  of William F. Lenahan as Chief  Executive  Officer,
completing key management  changes begun last month,  and adding new strength in
the data communications arena for the company.

                  Mr. Lenahan joins KMC from BellSouth  Wireless Data,  where he
was President and CEO,  responsible  for financial  performance  and  nationwide
wireless data strategy for this division of BellSouth Corporation.  As CEO and a
member of the Board of  Directors  of KMC  Telecom,  Mr.  Lenahan  will  oversee
strategic direction for KMC.

      Mr.  Lenahan's  appointment  as CEO follows the recent  promotion of Chief
Operating  Officer  Roscoe C. Young II to the position of President and COO, and
the appointment of William Stewart as Chief Financial Officer,  rounding out the
company's senior management team.

      "We  are  delighted  to  welcome  a  nationally-known  executive  of  Bill
Lenahan's  caliber  to KMC's  core  management  leadership,"  said  Hal  Kamine,
Chairman of KMC  Telecom.  "With nearly  three  decades of executive  leadership
experience in telecommunications,  data and information technology,  Mr. Lenahan
adds new management depth to KMC Telecom as we continue our expansion."

      "KMC has made significant  strides and now serves 34 markets,  offering an
exciting array of integrated voice and data services that underscores KMC as the






premier  competitive  provider serving America's smaller cities," said Roscoe C.
Young II, KMC President and COO. "With Bill Lenahan's  strategic vision, we will
continue KMC's dynamic growth, and fully realize our data capability."

                  William  F.  Lenahan  has  served  as  President  and  CEO  of
BellSouth  Wireless  Data, a division of BellSouth  Corporation,  since  October
1994.  Previously,  he was President and General  Manager of Inacom  Information
Systems from  1993-94,  and from 1987  through 1993 was an executive  with Sears
Business Centers, first as Vice President/General Manager and later as President
and CEO.

      Mr.  Lenahan  earned a Bachelor of Science  degree in Data  Processing  at
Kings  College,  and has pursued  graduate  studies in Business  Administration,
Financial  Management  and  Financial  Planning  at  Pace  University,   Harvard
University,  and at LaHulpe in Belgium.  He is a member of the Young President's
Organization,  as well as the Advisory  Councils of IBM,  Compaq and NCR, and is
listed in WHO'S WHO IN NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESS.

      KMC Telecom Holdings, Inc., a privately owned facilities-based competitive
local exchange carrier,  operates state-of-the-art local fiber optic networks in
34 markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic,  Midwest and South. Founded in 1995, the
company  offers  customers  superior  alternatives  in local  telephone and data
communication   services.   For  more   information,   visit  our  web  site  at
www.kmctelecom.com


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