**Exhibit 31(a)**

 

**CERTIFICATIONPURSUANT TO SECTION 302**

**OF THESARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002**

 

I, John E. Duffy, certifythat:

 

1.               I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2006 of Hickory Tech Corporation;

 

2.               Based on my knowledge, this report does notcontain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a materialfact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances underwhich such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the periodcovered by this report;

 

3.               Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements and other financial information included in this report fairlypresent in all material respects the financial condition, results of operationsand cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in thisreport;

 

4.               The registrant’s other certifying officer(s)and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls andprocedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) andinternal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 
| a)     |   | designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such  disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to  ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its  consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those  entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being  prepared;                              |
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| b)     |   | designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused  such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our  supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of  financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external  purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;                                      |
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| c)     |   | evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls  and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the  effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the  period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and                                                                                                                       |
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| d)     |   | disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal  control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most  recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of  an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to  materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting;  and |

 

5.               The registrant’s other certifying officer(s)and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal controlover financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committeeof registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalentfunctions):

 
| a)     |   | all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or  operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process,  summarize and report financial information; and |
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| b)     |   | any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other  employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control  over financial reporting.                                                                                                 |

 

Date:  May 10, 2006

 

John E. Duffy

President and ChiefExecutive Officer

 

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