NEWS                                                         April 12, 1996

                 COMMISSION ANNOUNCES INTENTION TO FORM 
                     TELEMEDICINE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
         TO ASSIST IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT

     Chairman Reed Hundt announced today the Commission's intention to form a
Telemedicine Advisory Committee to the FCC to assist with implementation of the universal
service and advanced telecommunications services provisions of the Telecommunications Act of
1996 and to examine telecommunications rules and regulations that impede or would enhance the
development of tele-health applications. Chairman Hundt made the announcement at the first
meeting of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service.

     "Telecommunications will  play an increasingly important role in the development and
delivery of health care in America," Chairman Hundt remarked. "We need to make sure that there
are no barriers that would prevent progress in improving the health of rural and urban Americans.
The Telemedicine Advisory Committee will play a valuable role in helping the Commission
fulfill the promises of the new law." He added, "The expertise of the health care community,
combined with the knowledge and skill of the telecommunications industry, in both the public
and private sectors, is essential to this aim and will help the Commission even beyond
implementation of the Act."

     The Committee would be comprised of experts from the fields of health care, medicine,
and telecommunications, from both the public and private sectors.  The Committee would review
existing telemedicine efforts; identify Federal and State telecommunications regulatory, legal, and
policy barriers to the development of telemedicine; and recommend Federal and State
telecommunications regulatory policies and laws to further the development of telemedicine, both
nationally and internationally.    

     The Committee would provide a report to the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal
Service which would assist the Joint Board in making recommendations to the Commission
concerning implementation of the universal service provisions of the Telecommunications Act.

                                  - FCC -

          News Media contact: Rochelle Cohen at (202) 418-0500.
          Office of Plans and Policy contact: Lygeia Ricciardi at (202) 418-2672.