Adrenaline xDSL Line Conditioners Receive RDUP Listing; Join Other Charles Extended-Reach DSL and FTTX Solutions in Supporting Broadband Stimulus Plan Initiatives

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL--(Marketwire - March 17, 2009) - Charles Industries, Ltd., a leading provider of outside plant innovations for communications service providers, has received notification from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development / Utilities Services (USDA RDUP, formerly RUS) that its AdrenaLine xDSL Line Conditioners have been formally granted RDUP Listing. As a listed RDUP product, AdrenaLine xDSL Line Conditioners may now be financed within service providers' RDUP funded projects, including projects initiated under the broadband stimulus portion of the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

AdrenaLine, a hardened outside plant device that can be placed midspan on copper pairs to dramatically increase the rate or reach of ADSL, RE-ADSL or ADSL2+, is one of three DSL extension products manufactured by Charles that qualify for RDUP funding. Other solutions include the Smart Coil, a line conditioning device that provides the voice-improvement benefits of a common load coil while passing DSL, and the High Speed Voice and Data Link (HVDL) system, a TCPAM-based system for providing broadband to rural customers up to 112 Kft. from a central office.

"Charles strongly supports service providers' FTTX and DSL initiatives," said Jack Wood, Vice President of Sales for Charles Industries. "We take a hands-on approach to listening to our customers' deployment challenges and creating solutions that help them reach their unserved and underserved markets. Our DSL extension products and buried fiber distribution enclosures are the direct result of working with customers to meet real-world service opportunities quickly and cost-efficiently."

Under the recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress, $7.2 billion in funds will be made available to service providers for the deployment and construction of broadband systems. $2.5 billion of the stimulus plan will be administered directly by the RDUP, which will award the money in the form of low-interest loans, loan guarantees and grants. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will administer allocation of the remaining $4.7 billion in grants through its Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

One requirement of the broadband stimulus package is that equipment purchased using funding from the program must be assembled in the United States. Charles, which operates four U.S.-based ISO 9001 / TL 9000 certified manufacturing facilities, meets this requirement on all of its products.

Service providers, contractors and engineering firms are encouraged to view the entire list of Charles' RDUP listed fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) and fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) enclosures, housings and pedestals; as well as the company's AdrenaLine, Smart Coil and HVDL DSL extension solutions; on the company's website at: http://www.charlesindustries.com/main/telecom.html.

About Charles Industries, Ltd.

2009 marks Charles Industries' 41st year as a privately held, diversified manufacturing and technology company serving telecommunications, CATV, marine and industrial markets. Founded in 1968, the company is ISO 9001:2000 and TL 9000 and headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Contact Information: For more information: Brad Wackerlin Charles Industries, Ltd. (847) 258-8458 bwackerl@charlesindustries.com