NEWS

                           COMMON CARRIER ACTION          November 27, 1996
                                    
                     COMMON CARRIER BUREAU RELEASES
              Statistics of Communications Common Carriers

    Each year since 1939, the FCC has published Statistics of Communications Common
Carriers, a widely used reference work by academics, consultants, and other researchers in the
field of telecommunications.  This report includes a wealth of data on telecommunications
costs, revenues, prices, and usage.  

     The report is prepared and sent to publication as soon as possible after final
international traffic data is reported each year on October 31.   In order to expedite release of
the information, the FCC is making all of the data available electronically prior to the report's
formal publication and release.   A further notice will be issued when printed versions can be
purchased from the U.S. Government Printing Office.

     The 349-page volume is divided into eight sections:  general information on industry
structure; financial and operating data relating to telephone carriers; data relating to the
COMSAT Corporation and telegraph carriers; data on international communications; 
information on rates for long distance telecommunications services; historical financial data on
the communications industry; historical rate tables for AT&T, MCI, and Sprint; and data on
industry trends.
 
     The full report is available for reference in the Common Carrier Bureau's Public
Reference Room,  2000 M Street N.W., Room 575.  The publication can be downloaded 
[File names:  951-all.zip, 952-all.zip ... 958-all.zip]  from the FCC-State Link internet site,
which can be reached via a link from the Common Carrier Bureau home page 
(http://www.fcc.gov/ccb.html) on the World Wide Web.   The report can also be downloaded
from the FCC-State Link computer bulletin board at (202) 418-0241.  Copies of the tables
may be purchased by calling International Transcription Services, Inc. (ITS) at (202) 857-
3800.

 - FCC -

     For additional information contact Mary Green or Katie Rangos of the Industry
Analysis Division at (202) 418-0940.