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EXHIBIT 10.8

                                SEVERANCE POLICY

                           RHYTHMS NETCONNECTIONS INC.

An EMPLOYEE whose EMPLOYMENT with the COMPANY is terminated by the Company, on
an INVOLUNTARY NO FAULT basis, shall be entitled to receive the following
SEVERANCE BENEFITS:

1.   In lieu of notice, an Employee shall be entitled to two weeks of BASE
     COMPENSATION payable in accordance with the Company's normal and customary
     payroll practices.

2.   In addition to the Base Compensation described in 1. above, upon executing
     and delivering a GENERAL RELEASE to the Company, Employees shall be
     entitled to receive SEVERANCE. The amount of Severance shall be as follows:

     a.   Employees (other than OFFICERS) who have been employed with the
          Company for twenty four (24) full calendar months or less (starting
          with the DATE OF HIRE, as reflected in the Company's records) as of
          the Termination Date shall be entitled to receive two (2) weeks of
          Base Compensation.

     b.   Employees (other than Officers) who have been employed with the
          Company for more than twenty four (24) full calendar months (starting
          with the Date of Hire, as reflected in the Company's records) as of
          the Termination Date shall be entitled to receive four (4) weeks of
          Base Compensation.

     c.   Officers (other than EXECUTIVE OFFICERS) shall be entitled to receive
          eleven (11) weeks of Base Compensation, regardless of their length of
          Employment with the Company.

     d.   Executive Officers shall be entitled to receive fifty (50) weeks of
          Base Compensation, regardless of their length of Employment with the
          Company.

3.   In addition to the Base Compensation and Severance payments described in 1.
     and 2. above, each Employee whose Employment with the Company is terminated
     by the Company shall be entitled to be paid (a) the accrued balance in the
     Employee's account under the Company's PTO PLAN as of the Termination Date,
     (b) the cash balance in the Employee's "book account" under the Company's
     ESPP as of the Termination Date, (c) the balance in the Employee's account
     under the Company's 401K PLAN as of the Termination Date, if the Employee
     properly elects to rollover such balance to another plan or to receive a
     distribution of such balance, and (d) accrued and unpaid Base Compensation,
     if any, owed as of the Termination Date, in all cases in accordance with
     the terms and conditions set forth in the PTO Plan, ESPP, 401K Plan, or as
     shown in the Company's payroll records, as the case may be.

4.   Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (a) if an Employee's offer
     letter from, or employment agreement with, the Company provides for
     severance benefits that are more favorable to the Employee than the
     Severance Benefits described in this Severance Policy,
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     the terms of the Employee's offer letter or employment agreement, as the
     case may be, shall govern, and (b) if the Severance Benefits described in
     this Severance Policy are more favorable to the Employee than the severance
     benefits provided for in an Employee's offer letter from, or employment
     agreement with, the Company, the terms of this Severance Policy shall
     govern.

5.   The Company reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to pay
     or agree to pay to selected Employees or groups of Employees EXCESS
     BENEFITS in connection with the termination of their Employment; provided,
     however, that nothing herein shall (a) entitle any Employee to receive any
     Excess Benefits or (b) require the Company to treat similarly situated
     Employees similarly under this Severance Policy or otherwise. Past examples
     of such discretionary additional payments include reimbursement for COBRA
     benefits for affected Employees with current and potentially disabling
     medical conditions and additional severance amounts to compensate for
     partially completed bonus periods.

6.   The Company reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to
     change, modify or amend the terms of this Severance Policy at any time,
     including, but not limited to, terminating this Severance Policy, in its
     entirety; provided, however, that any change, modification or amendment to
     this Severance Policy shall only apply to those Employees whose Termination
     Date occurs after the effective date of such change, modification or
     amendment.

7.   Nothing in this Severance Policy shall confer upon any Employee any right
     to continue in the employ of the Company for any period of specific
     duration or otherwise interfere with or otherwise restrict in any way the
     rights of the Company or the Employee, which rights are hereby expressly
     reserved by each, to terminate such Employee's service at any time for any
     reason, with or without cause.

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DEFINED TERMS:

1.   BASE COMPENSATION means (a) base salary for exempt bonused Employees, (b)
     regularly scheduled hours, not to exceed forty hours (40) hours, of
     compensation at the base rate for non-exempt Employees and (c) regular
     draw, plus 70% of target commission, for commissioned Employees, as shown
     on the Company's books and records as of the Employee's Termination Date.

2.   COMPANY means Rhythms NetConnections Inc.

3.   DATE OF HIRE means the date first worked by a new Employee, as reflected in
     the Company's payroll records.

4.   EMPLOYEE means any full-time or part-time (as so treated in the Company's
     payroll records) employee of the Company or any of the Company's
     wholly-owned corporate subsidiaries.

5.   EMPLOYMENT means employment as an Employee for payroll purposes, and shall
     not include independent contractors, consultants, directors, partners or
     other third-party relationships that are not considered "employment" for
     payroll purposes.
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6.   ESPP means the Company's 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended.

7.   EXCESS BENEFITS means any and all severance benefits paid, or agreed to be
     paid, by the Company to an Employee in excess of the Severance payable
     under this Severance Policy.

8.   EXECUTIVE OFFICERS means Executive Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents,
     the President, the Chief Information Officer, the Chief Financial Officer,
     Chief Legal Counsel and the Chief Executive Officer.

9.   401K PLAN means the Company's 401K Plan, as described in the Company's Plan
     Summary Booklet - Rhythms NetConnections Inc. 401K Savings Plan.

10.  GENERAL RELEASE means the Company's standard form of employee general
     release, in effect as of the Employee's termination Date, or such other
     form of general release as mutually agreed to by the Company and the
     Employee.

11.  INVOLUNTARY NO FAULT basis means termination of the Employee's Employment
     by the Company as a result of (a) elimination of the Employee's position by
     the Company, (b) a reduction in force by the Company or (c) a downsizing of
     department(s) by the Company.

12.  OFFICERS means all Vice Presidents, including Area and Regional Vice
     Presidents, Executive Officers and any other persons legally designated as
     officers of the Company.

13.  PTO PLAN means the Company's Paid Time Off (PTO) Plan, as described in the
     Employee Policies Section of the Company's Intranet "The Beat."

14.  SEVERANCE means the benefits described in Section 2. Of this Severance
     Policy.

15.  SEVERANCE BENEFITS means all of the benefits provided in this Severance
     Policy.

16.  TERMINATION DATE means the date that an Employee's employment with the
     Company terminates for payroll purposes.