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To: wonk who wrote (5445)	10/4/1999 3:08:00 PM
From: RTev	Respond to of 12823

I've heard a few reports from folks in Butte (where MPC is headquartered) that an IPO for TouchAmerica is a sure thing, but this story suggests they still hadn't decided to go that way. I suspect the WCG IPO might be enough to change minds. Touch America spinoff approached cautiously missoulian.com Bob Gannon, Montana Power's chairman and chief executive officer, said that about two-thirds of the company's stock value is tied to the earnings potential of Touch America. That has led to wide speculation that the company might offer investors shares of Touch America without the baggage of a regulated utility. Company officials will track the progress of The Williams Co., which is spinning off part of its telecommunications subsidiary to investors. The success of that move will offer insight, Gannon added. The story also touches on the LDMS system you mentioned: Back in Missoula, the company will offer a new wireless, high-speed connection by next June. Fighting reports that Montana lags in high-speed Internet access, Touch America will offer what is called a local multipoint distribution service, or LMDS. Basically, the wireless system lets businesses bypass phone lines by transmitting signals to a central receiver in Missoula. That receiver is linked directly to Touch America's fiber optic line which offers the fastest Internet service available. The system is already working in Billings, where Montana Power set up the pilot program. [By the way, MPC doesn't use "& Light" in its name.]