May 12, 1994

         NEW MEMBERS APPOINTED TO THE NETWORK RELIABILITY COUNCIL 

     FCC Chairman Reed E. Hundt today announced revisions in the
membership of the Commission's Federal Advisory Committee, the
Network Reliability Council and named Richard C. Notebaert,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ameritech Corporation, as
the new Chairman of the Council. He thanked retiring Chairman,
Paul Henson, for his service and said "Dick Notebaert will
provide continued excellence in leading the Council to consensus
solutions to the issues we face."  
     
     The Council was established in 1992 in response to a number
of large scale outages of the public switched telephone network. 
In letters to existing and new members, Chairman Hundt explained
he, Commissioner Quello and Commissioner Barrett found it
necessary to continue the Council, but to modify its charter and
its membership.

     Hundt congratulated the Council on its accomplishments to
date, particularly the publication of its study, "Network
Reliability: A Report to the Nation," and the establishment of an
ongoing reliability monitoring group within the Alliance for
Telecommunications Industry Solutions. He found that continued
expert advice was needed to assess industry efforts to improve
network reliability. He also stressed the need for advice as to
whether changes in the industry could threaten reliability.

     The revised charter calls on the Council to evaluate the
reliability of network services in the United States on a local
and regional basis; to evaluate potential new risks from new
interconnection arrangements and changing technologies; to
evaluate access to emergency services during network outages; and
to collect data on whether network outages have disproportionate
impact on certain geographic areas or certain demographic groups.
The Council is asked to assemble data and information, perform
analysis and provide advice to the industry and to the Commission
on these topics.

     Reflecting the Council's broader mission and its
accomplishments to date, several changes were made in the
Council's membership. In particular, representatives were added
from the cable television industry, the satellite industry, and
the emerging personal communications industry. Chairman Hundt
thanked those members who no longer would be serving and asked
for their continued support.

For further information, contact Jim Keegan at 202/634-1867.THE 


1994-1996 NETWORK RELIABILITY COUNCIL (NRC)

Richard C. Notebaert, Ameritech, NRC Chairman

Members
Robert E. Allen, AT&T 
Decker Anstrom, National Cable Television Association
Morton Bahr, Communications Workers of America
Alex B. Best, Cable Labs
Ron Binz, National Assoc. of State Utilities Consumer Advocates
Ronald L. Bittner, Rochester Telephone
John L. Clendenin, BellSouth
Steven Dorfman, Hughes Space and Communications 
Stephen Effros, Cable Telecommunications Association
William T. Esrey, Sprint
William Ferguson, NYNEX 
Mathew Flanigan, Telecommunications Industry Association
Heather Gold, Association for Local Telecommunications Services
George H. Heilmeier, Bellcore
Stephen O. Hewlett, NARUC
Gerald F. James, International Communications Association
Charles R. Lee, GTE 
Daniel J. Miglio, United States Telephone Association
Richard D. McCormick, US West
Barbara O'Connor, Alliance for Public Technology
C. Alan Peyser, Competitive Telecommunications Association
Philip J. Quigley, Pacific Telesis
Bert C. Roberts, Jr., MCI 
John Rose, Organization for the Advancement and Protection of
Small    Telephone Companies
Selby A. Shaver, Ad Hoc Telecommunications Users Group
LTG Alonzo E. Short, Jr., National Communications System, U.S.    
  Dept. of Defense
Casimir S. Skrzypczak, Alliance for Telecommunications Industry   
  Solutions
Raymond W. Smith, Bell Atlantic
Mark Golden, Personal Communications Industry Association
Thomas Wheeler, Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association
Edward Whitacre, Southwestern Bell

Observers
Larry Irving, National Telecommunications and Information         
  Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
Dr. John H. Gibbons, Office of Science and Technology Policy,
  White House