U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 17108 / August 27, 2001

   SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION v. ALPHA TELCOM, INC., AMERICAN
   TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, INC., STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP ALLIANCE, LLC,
   SPA MARKETING, LLC, PAUL S. RUBERA, ROBERT A. MCDONALD, ROSS S.
   RAMBACH and MARK E. KENNISON (D.ORE.) (CV-01-1283 HA)

   The United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission")
   announced that on August 27, 2001, the Honorable Owen M. Panner,
   United States District Judge for the District of Oregon, issued a
   temporary restraining order halting an ongoing $100 million securities
   fraud by Paul S. Rubera ("Rubera"), Robert A. McDonald ("McDonald"),
   Ross S. Rambach ("Rambach"), Mark E. Kennison ("Kennison") and
   entities controlled by them. The Court (1) granted the Commission's
   application for a temporary restraining order and receiver; (2) froze
   the assets of the defendants; (3) prohibited the destruction of
   documents by the defendants; (4) ordered accountings from the
   defendants; and (5) granted expedited discovery. A hearing on whether
   a preliminary injunction should be issued against the defendants is
   scheduled for September 6, 2001.

   The Commission's complaint, filed today, alleges that since 1997,
   Rubera, McDonald, Rambach and Kennison, and entities controlled by
   them (Alpha Telcom, Inc. ("Alpha"), American Telecommunications
   Company, Inc. ("ATC"), Strategic Partnership Alliance LLC ("SPA") and
   SPA Marketing, LLC ("SPA Marketing")) have raised at least $100
   million from over 7,000 investors nationwide, purportedly for
   investments in pay telephones, and promising investors a 14% annual
   return. In fact, Rubera, McDonald, Rambach and Kennison, and the
   entities controlled by them, are operating a massive Ponzi-like scheme
   in which Alpha and ATC's payphone operations are losing money, but the
   defendants are making payments to existing investors with the money
   that they obtain from new investors. In addition, the complaint
   alleges that Rambach, Kennison, SPA and SPA Marketing have been acting
   as unregistered brokers in connection with the offer and sale of
   investments in the defendants' scheme.

   The Commission obtained an order temporarily restraining the
   defendants from committing securities fraud in violation of Section
   17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"), Section 10(b)
   of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5
   thereunder. The Court's order also temporarily restrains the
   defendants from committing violations of the securities registration
   provisions of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act. The
   Court's order further temporarily restrains Rambach, Kennison, SPA and
   SPA Marketing from committing violations of the broker-dealer