Exhibit 99.4
                                  NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release                       CONTACT: Ed Babcock
                                            Vice President, Finance, Hyperion
                                            (814) 274-9830

                                            Victor Colantonio
                                            President, NEON
                                            (781) 684-5103

December 10, 1998

NorthEast Optic Network signs $14 million contract with Hyperion Communications 
or New England Fiber Services

Hyperion Communications (NASDAQ-NMM: HYPT) and NorthEast Optic Network, Inc.,
(NEON) (NASDAQ-NMM: NOPT) have entered into a binding memorandum of
understanding that will allow Hyperion to provide state-of-the-art fiber optic
communications to most businesses throughout New England. The arrangement will
include usage on NEON's long haul fiber optic routes, intercity facilities and
metro systems in White Plains, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Southern Maine. The contract represents
approximately $14 million of revenue to NEON over its 20 year term. A year-end
closing is anticipated.

Victor Colantonio, president of NEON, said "Hyperion is the first service
provider to implement a truly comprehensive utilization of NEON's facilities to
cover interstate, intrastate and local fiber. Their program adds significantly
to our backlog and represents a phased delivery that matches NEON's build-out
schedule with Hyperion's regional service roll-out."

Initially, NEON will provide Hyperion with dark fiber capacity from White
Plains, NY to Portland, ME, including facility termination points at as many as
70 specific carrier switch centers along the NEON network. "Typically, our
network customers look for connectivity from a couple to a half dozen locations.
In this instance, Hyperion has identified about 12 times that number and the
selected sites are spread throughout our service territory. NEON is thrilled to
be the northeast strategic partner to Hyperion", said Colantonio.




Dan Milliard, President of Hyperion Communications, indicated that his company
is planning an extensive expansion program into the New England states. "We
believe that the New England markets offer us the right environment to roll-out
services specifically aimed at secondary and tiertiary communities. In our
opinion, New England is under served and we intend to change that by giving
businesses a better choice to acquire better communication services at very
attractive prices - and NEON gives us fast turn-up and deep penetration into our
targeted customers."

Hyperion Communications, a leading provider of competitive local, long distance,
data and enhanced communications services, continues to develop its presence in
the communications industry through its relationship with NEON. Expansion into
New England increases the size and scope of Hyperion's reach to offer a robust
array of services in New England. This NEON expansion, along with a series of
agreements announced earlier this year with Qwest Communications, Williams
Communications and several other leading fiber optic network providers, now
provides Hyperion with access to over 9,000 route miles of fiber throughout the
eastern half of the United States.

NorthEast Optic Network, Inc. is a facilities-based, carriers' carrier providing
technologically advanced, high-bandwidth, fiber optic transmission capacity for
certificated carriers on local loop, intercity and interstate facilities. NEON
currently is expanding its fiber optic network to encompass more than 900 route
miles or more than 60,000 fiber miles in New York and New England. The
completion of currently planned routes in the network will enable the NEON
system to create a continuous fiber optic link between New York City and
Portland, Maine with access into and around Boston, Massachusetts and other
major service areas in the Northeast, connecting more than 540 cities and towns
in six states. The company closed an IPO of 4.5 million shares and a
simultaneous bond offering of $180 million on July 30, 1998.

(Notation: Except for factual information contained in this news release, any
forward looking statements concerning future plans for expansion and completion
of NEON are based on current estimates and projections and actual results could
materially differ from those statements.)