Document:

EXHIBIT 10.52

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                        THE CHILLICOTHE TELEPHONE COMPANY

                       -----------------------------------

                               AMENDMENT AGREEMENT
                           Dated as of August 14, 2002

                                       re

                             NOTE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
                          Dated as of November 1, 1993

                       -----------------------------------

                       Re: $10,000,000 6.47% Senior Notes
                              Due November 1, 2005

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                               AMENDMENT AGREEMENT

     THIS  AMENDMENT  AGREEMENT  dated  as of  August  14,  2002  (the  or  this
"Amendment") is between THE CHILLICOTHE  TELEPHONE COMPANY,  an Ohio corporation
(the  "Company"),  and each of the  institutions  which is a  signatory  to this
Amendment (collectively, the "Noteholders").

                                    RECITALS:

     A. The Company and each of the Noteholders have heretofore entered into the
Note  Purchase  Agreement  dated as of November  1, as amended by the  Amendment
dated as of January 1, 1997 (the "Note  Purchase  Agreement").  The  Company has
heretofore  issued the $10,000,000  6.47% Senior Notes due November 1, 2005 (the
"Notes")  pursuant  to the Note  Purchase  Agreement.  The  Noteholders  are the
holders of 100% of the outstanding principal amount of the Notes.

     B. The Company has requested that the Noteholders amend certain  provisions
of the Note Purchase  Agreement in connection with the Company's  issuance of an
aggregate of  $30,000,000  senior  unsecured  notes  pursuant to a note purchase
agreement, notes and related documents (the "New Note Issuance").

     C. The Company and the Noteholders  now desire to amend certain  provisions
of the Note  Purchase  Agreement as of the date set forth above (the  "Effective
Date") in the  respect,  but only in the  respect,  hereinafter  set  forth.

     D.  Capitalized  terms  used  herein  shall  have the  respective  meanings
ascribed  thereto in the Note Purchase  Agreement  unless herein  defined or the
context shall  otherwise  require.

     E. All requirements of law have been fully complied with and all other acts
and  things  necessary  to make  this  Amendment  a  valid,  legal  and  binding
instrument  according to its terms for the purposes  herein  expressed have been
done or performed.

     NOW, THEREFORE,  upon the full and complete  satisfaction of the conditions
precedent to the effectiveness of the Amendment set forth in SS.3.1 hereof,  and
in consideration of good and valuable  consideration the receipt and sufficiency
of which is hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Noteholders do hereby agree
as follows:

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT.

     Section 5(a) of the Note Purchase Agreement is hereby amended by adding the
following at the end of the section:

     "; provided that, from July 1, 2002 through and including  November 1, 2002
the Funded Debt permitted under this subparagraph  (iii) shall not exceed 60% of
Consolidated Total Capitalization."

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SECTION 2. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY.

     To induce the  Noteholders  to execute and deliver  this  Amendment  (which
representations shall survive the execution and delivery of this Amendment), the
Company represents and warrants to the Noteholders that:

     (a) this Amendment has been duly  authorized,  executed and delivered by it
and this Amendment constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation, contract
and  agreement  of the Company  enforceable  against it in  accordance  with its
terms,  except  as  enforcement  may  be  limited  by  bankruptcy,   insolvency,
reorganization,  moratorium or similar laws or equitable  principles relating to
or limiting creditors' rights generally;

     (b) the Note Agreement, as amended by this Amendment, constitute the legal,
valid  and  binding  obligations,   contracts  and  agreements  of  the  Company
enforceable  against it in accordance  with their  respective  terms,  except as
enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium
or similar  laws or  equitable  principles  relating to or  limiting  creditors'
rights generally;

     (c)  the  execution,  delivery  and  performance  by the  Company  of  this
Amendment (i) has been duly authorized by all requisite corporate action and, if
required,  shareholder  action, (ii) does not require the consent or approval of
any  governmental or regulatory  body or agency,  and (iii) will not (A) violate
(1) any provision of law,  statute,  rule or regulation  or its  certificate  of
incorporation or bylaws,  (2) any order of any court or any rule,  regulation or
order of any other agency or government binding upon it, or (3) any provision of
any material indenture,  agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or
by which its  properties  or assets are or may be bound,  including,  including,
without  limitation  the  New  Note  Issuance,  or (B)  result  in a  breach  or
constitute  (alone or with due notice or lapse of time or both) a default  under
any indenture,  agreement or other instrument  referred to in clause (iii)(A)(3)
of this Section 2.1(c); and

     (d) as of the date hereof and after  giving  effect to this  Amendment,  no
Default or Event of Default has occurred which is continuing.

SECTION 3. MISCELLANEOUS.

     Section 3.1.  This  Amendment  shall become  effective and binding upon the
Company and the  Noteholders  on the  Effective  Date upon the Company's and the
Noteholders' acceptance in the space below.

     Section 3.2. This  Amendment  shall be construed in connection  with and as
part of the Note  Purchase  Agreement,  and  except as  modified  and  expressly
amended by this Amendment,  all terms, conditions and covenants contained in the
Note  Purchase  Agreement  and the Notes are  hereby  ratified  and shall be and
remain in full force and effect.

     Section  3.3.  Any  and  all  notices,  requests,  certificates  and  other
instruments  executed and  delivered  after the  execution  and delivery of this
Amendment  may refer to the Note  Purchase  Agreement  without  making  specific

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<PAGE>

reference to this Amendment but  nevertheless  all such references shall include
this Amendment unless the context otherwise requires.

     Section 3.4. The descriptive  headings of the various  Sections or parts of
this  Amendment  are for  convenience  only and shall not affect the  meaning or
construction of any of the provisions hereof.

     Section  3.5.  This  Amendment  shall  be  governed  by  and  construed  in
accordance with Minnesota law.

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<PAGE>

     Section  2.6.  The  execution  hereof by you shall  constitute  a  contract
between us for the uses and purposes  hereinabove set forth,  and this Amendment
may be  executed  in any  number  of  counterparts,  each  executed  counterpart
constituting an original, but all together only one agreement.

                                       THE CHILLICOTHE TELEPHONE COMPANY

                                       By /s/ Thomas McKell
                                          -------------------------------------
                                       Its  President
                                          -------------------------------------

Accepted and Agreed to:

                                       NORTHERN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                                       RELIASTAR LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                                       BY: ING INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC,
                                           AS AGENT

                                       By /s/ Christopher P. Lynns
                                          -------------------------------------
                                       Its  Vice President
                                          -------------------------------------

                                       4
1561831EXHIBIT 10.53

                                                              September 12, 2002

                           WAIVER EXTENSION AGREEMENT

The Chillicothe Telephone Company
68 East Main Street
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601

                       Re: $12,000,000 6.62% Senior Notes
                                Due June 1, 2018

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     Reference is hereby made to the Note Purchase Agreement dated as of June 1,
1998 (the "Note Purchase  Agreement") between The Chillicothe  Telephone Company
(the "Company") and each of the signatories hereto (the  "Noteholders").  Unless
otherwise defined herein,  capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings
ascribed thereto in the Note Purchase Agreement.

     Reference  is also made to (a) the Waiver  Agreement  dated as of August 8,
2002 (the "First Waiver Agreement"), pursuant to which the Noteholders agreed to
waive, until the Expiration Date set forth therein (the "First Waiver Expiration
Date"), the Event of Default resulting from the Company's failure to comply with
Section 5.1 of the Note Purchase Agreement,  and (b) the Second Waiver Agreement
dated as of August 14, 2002 (the "Second Waiver  Agreement"),  and together with
the First  Waiver  Agreement,  the  "Waiver  Agreements")  pursuant to which the
Noteholders  agreed to waive,  until the Expiration  Date set forth therein (the
"Second  Waiver  Expiration  Date"),  the Event of  Default  resulting  from the
Company's failure to comply with Section 5(a) of the Note Purchase Agreement.

     By  this  letter,  the  undersigned,  constituting  holders  of 100% of the
outstanding  aggregate principal amount of the Notes, hereby agree that the term
"Expiration  Date" as set forth in each of the Waiver Agreements shall be deemed
amended and restated to read as follows:  "The term "Expiration Date" shall mean
the  earlier of (a)  November  15,  2002 or (b) the date upon which the  Company
enters into a Second Amendment to the Note Purchase  Agreement or an Amended and
Restated Note Purchase Agreement pursuant to which Sections 5(a) and 5(i) of the
Note Purchase  Agreement are amended and/or restated such that the Company is no
longer in violation thereof."

     Except  as  modified  by this  Waiver  Extension  Agreement,  all terms and
conditions  contained in each of the Waiver  Agreements are ratified and will be
and remain in full force and effect.

<PAGE>

     This Waiver Extension  Agreement  pertains only to the Default and Event of
Default  described  herein  and in the  Waiver  Agreements  and to the extent so
described  and not to any  other  Default  or Event of  Default  which may exist
under,  or any other  matters  arising in  connection  with,  the Note  Purchase
Agreement or to any rights which the  Noteholders  have arising by virtue of any
such other actions or matters.

                                   Sincerely,

                                   AMERICAN UNITED LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY

                                   By  /s/ Christopher D. Pahlke
                                       --------------------------------------
                                       Christopher D. Pahlke
                                       Vice President

                                    THE STATE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
                                    By, AMERICAN UNITED LIFE INSURANCE
                                    COMPANY, ITS AGENT

                                   By  /s/ Christopher D. Pahlke
                                       --------------------------------------
                                        Christopher D. Pahlke
                                        Vice President

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1561828

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