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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Greg Corwin816-300-1686greg.corwin@birch.comBirch Communications Engages Bank of America MerchantServices for Electronic PaymentsAtlanta, Ga. – Jan. 30, 2012 – Birch Communications, a leading IP-based telecom and managedservices provider for small- and medium-sized businesses, announced a relationship with Bankof America Merchant Services that will enable Birch customers to receive enterprise-qualitymerchant processing services.Birch will offer a comprehensive suite of customized Bank of America Merchant Servicesofferings to its business customers, starting with merchant debit/credit card processing under theBirch PowerMerchant name. Birch PowerMerchant services represents the first step toward thedevelopment of a full line of financial solutions for Birch business customers that will providenew ways to minimize expenses and increase efficiency; designed around each customer’sindustry and their individual financial management needs.This relationship will allow Birch to offer its business customers special pricing on a variety ofcustom-tailored merchant services, along with the dedicated support and reliability our customershave come to expect from both Bank of America Merchant Services and Birch Communications.Birch PowerMerchant services will benefit Birch customers through lower fees, improved cashflow, simplified business operations, faster access to cash, and more payment options.“Birch is proud to partner with the #1 provider of merchant processing services in the U.S.,” saidVincent Oddo, Birch President and CEO. “This is a perfect fit for Birch. By teaming Bank ofAmerica Merchant Services with Birch’s reliable managed communications and IT services,including broadband Internet service, we will deliver solutions that drive greater efficiencies andsavings for our business customers.”“Both Birch and Bank of America Merchant Services have a long history of serving small andmedium-sized businesses,” said Chris Aversano, Birch COO. “The financial transactions andcommunications services of our business customers are mission-critical, and both companies havea strong track record of providing our business customers the personal attention and service theydeserve, and require.”“In Birch Communications, we immediately saw where our solutions could support the paymentprocessing needs of their diverse customers, and we are pleased to enter this partnership,” saidDane James, SVP, Referral Partner Sales, Bank of America Merchant Services. “Our dedicatedsales and relationship management team is focused on providing Birch with the necessaryinfrastructure to ensure their product solutions can be coupled with our industry-leading businessapplications: debit solutions, prepaid gift cards, payroll distribution service, electronic checkprocessing, wireless solutions, contactless payments, and Internet services. The synergy of ourrespective offerings will deepen their customer engagement and generate breakthrough strategies.We’re looking forward to helping Birch achieve their goals for years to come.”

# # #About Birch CommunicationsHeadquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Birch Communications provides managed communications andinformation technology services to a target market of small- and medium-sized businesses inselect metropolitan areas within 38 states across the United States. Birch services include localand long distance voice, broadband Internet access, T1, PRI, bonded T1, integrated PRI, mobilevoice and data, e-mail, web-hosting, voicemail, prepaid, and many other communications andinformation technology services. Birch voice and data services are, in most cases, deliveredusing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology on the company’s secure IP-Network ratherthan over the public Internet.According to Inc. 500|5000 magazine in its 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2011 rankings, Birch was oneof the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. In 2010, Birch was also named the7 th fastest growing private business in Atlanta, and one of the Top 100 Private Companies inAtlanta in 2010 and 2011, by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Please visit www.birch.com formore information.About Bank of America Merchant ServicesBank of America Merchant Services is a premiere payments company providing the technology,innovative products and industry track record of First Data with the relationship strength,geographical coverage and prominent global brand of Bank of America to serve existing andfuture clients. This has made Bank of America Merchant Services the number one-ratedelectronic payments processor in the industry. 1 Bank of America Merchant Services delivers acomprehensive suite of payment solutions – including point of sale payments, gift card andloyalty programs, ecommerce solutions, terminals and point-of-sale solutions – to merchants ofall sizes. The company has an expansive geographic footprint with more than 350,000 merchantrelationships across the United States, processing more than 8 billion transactions every year. Formore information, visit www.bankofamerica.com/merchantservices.1 Based on bankcard, other credit, and PIN debit sales volume and transactions. Per The Nilson Report, March 2011,Issue 967