Level 3, tw telecom Announce Deal for Settlement-Free Peering

Level 3 Communications, Inc.(NYSE: LVLT) and tw telecom inc. (NASDAQ: TWTC) today announced they haveentered into a long-term settlement-free Internet traffic exchange agreement.(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111004/LA77008LOGO)The settlement-free agreement, commonly referred to as a peering agreement inthe Internet industry, allows the two Internet service provider networks toexchange data, enabling Internet customers on one network to send and receiveInternet content with customers on the other network more efficiently andcost-effectively.As the Internet continues to grow and evolve, Internet service providers mustexchange Internet traffic in a scalable, resilient and reliable manner,allowing consumers to enjoy the highest performance and fastest speeds thatenable new, innovative high-bandwidth applications.  Broadband consumers nowdownload much more data than they send, requiring Internet carriers todynamically adjust traffic routing and interconnection locations to maintain afair and equitable relationship between the two networks.  The Level 3 and tw telecom peering agreement measures both the volume oftraffic exchanged and the distance over which that traffic is carried by eachnetwork. This approach is called bit-mile peering. In order to keep therelationship equitable, both networks carry approximately the same "bit miles"of data. This model promotes efficient, high-quality service for customers,while ensuring a balanced cost burden across each network.